a blessed land
e Story of Ancient, Prophetic Yemen and its Conversion in Early Islamic History
A book dedicated to raising funds for the oppressed and impoverished people of Yemen from the Saudi imposed war
By Jaff er Ladak © Copyright 2018 Jaff er Ladak
First Published in 2018
Cover Design by Zulfi kar Hussein Layout by Islamic Publishing House www.iph.ca
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmi ed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior wri en permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations quoted in articles or reviews. ] [ “O you people! A manifest proof has indeed come to you from your Lord, and We have sent down a clear light to you which distinguishes (the right from the wrong). Now as to those who believe in Allah and hold fast to Him, He will surely admit them to His mercy and to (His) grace and will guide them along a straight and right path (leading) to Himself.” ( r’an, Sūrah al Nisā (4:), verses 174 175) 2
ﻗﺎل رﺳﻮل اﻟﻠﻪ : َﻣ ْﻦ أَ َﺣ ﱠﺐ أَ ْﻫﻞَ اﻟْﻴَ َﻤ ِﻦ ﻓَ َﻘ ْﺪ أَ َﺣﺒﱠ ِﻨﻲ َو َﻣ ْﻦ أَﺑْ َﻐ َﻀ ُﻬ ْﻢ ﻓَ َﻘ ْﺪ أَﺑْ َﻐ َﻀ ِﻨﻲ Prophet Mu ammad is narrated to have said, “Whosoever loves the people of Yemen, certainly he has loved me; and whosoever angers them, certainly has angered me.” 2
ﻗﺎل رﺳﻮل اﻟﻠﻪ : ﻟَ ْﻮﻻَ اﻟْ ِﻬ ْﺠ َﺮةُ ﻟَ ُﻜ ْﻨ ُﺖ ْاﻣ َﺮ َءاً ِﻣ ْﻦ أَ ْﻫ ِﻞ اﻟْﻴَ َﻤ ِﻦ Prophet Mu ammad is narrated to have said, “Had it not been for the migration (to Medina), I would have been from the people of Yemen!”
e reward of this book is dedicated to the soul of Haji Amirali MohamedJaff er Nasser Lakha. He was known as a person dedicated to helping those in need.
Contents
Introduction ...... xiii Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an ...... 31 Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam ...... 55 Chapter 3: Yemen A er its Conversion to Islam ...... 71 Chapter 4: Leading Personalities from Yemen ...... 73 Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī ...... 83 Conclusion...... 97
Transliteration Table e method of transliteration of Islamic terminology from the Arabic language has been carried out according to the standard transliteration table mentioned below.
r f ف ر ء a z q ق ز ا b s k ك س ب t sh l ل ش ت th m م ص ث j n ن ض ج w و ط ح kh h ﻩ ظ خ d y ي ع د dh gh غ ذ Long Vowels
ā ū ī ي و ا Short Vowels
a u i ِـــ ـــ ــ ـُ ـــ ــ ـَ ـــ
Terms of Respect e following Arabic phrases have been used throughout this book in their respective places to show the reverence which the noble personalities deserve. Used for Allāh (God) meaning: Glory and Greatness be to Him
Used for Prophet Mu ammad meaning: Blessings from Allāh be upon him and his family
Used for a man of high status (singular) meaning: Peace be upon him
Used for woman of a high status (singular) meaning: Peace be upon her
Used for men/women of a high status (dual) meaning: Peace be upon them both
Used for men and/or women of a high status (plural) meaning: Peace be upon them all
Introduction
Ancient Yemen Yemen’s role in human history, and in particular Arabian history, is especially important as it is known to be one of the oldest civilisations in the Near East. At the beginning of the Christian age, there stood four regions of se led life with organised power and high culture around Arabia. To the west was the Byzantine Empire; while across the Euphrates River reigned the Sassanian Empire over modern day Iran and Iraq; and to the south lay Ethiopia, an ancient kingdom which adopted the Coptic Church as its offi cial religion. e other was Yemen, in south west Arabia. Albert Hourani, in his A History of the Arab Peoples states that Yemen was: “A land of fertile mountain valleys and a point for long distance trade. At a certain stage, its small local states had been incorporated in a larger kingdom, which had grown weak when trade declined in the early Christian era but revived later. Yemen had its own language, diff erent from Arabic which was spoken elsewhere in Arabia, and its own religion: a multiplicity of gods were served by priests in temples which were places of pilgrimage, voting off erings and private but not communal prayer, and also centres of great estates.” Life was a balance of desert and steppe; nomadic and sedentary forms xvi A Land Most Goodly of living which o en required exchange for the other. Hourani explains the rare oases of the Arabian peninsula allowed for regions of cultivation, “Inhabitants spoke various dialects of Arabic and followed diff erent ways of life. Some of them were nomads who pastured camels, sheep or goats by using the scanty water resources of the desert; these have traditionally been known as ‘beduin.’ Some were se led cultivators tending their grain or palm trees in the oases, or traders and cra smen in small market towns; some combined more than one way of life. Although they were a minority of the population, it was the camel nomads, mobile and carrying arms, who together with merchant groups in the towns, dominated the cultivators and cra smen. eir ethos of courage, hospitality, loyalty to family, and pride of ancestry was also dominant. ey were not controlled by a stable power of coercion, but were led by chiefs belonging to families around which there gathered more or less lasting groups of supporters, expressing their cohesion and loyalty in the idiom of common ancestry; such groups are usually called tribes.” He goes on to say, “ e religion of pastoralists and cultivators seem to have had no clear shape. Local gods, identifi ed with objects in the sky, were thought to be embodied in stones, trees and other natural things; good and evil spirits were believed to roam the world in the shape of animals; soothsayers claimed to speak with the tongue of some supernatural wisdom. e se led societies ruled by the empires were full of questionings about the meaning of life and the way that it should be lived, expressed in the idioms of the great religions.”1 ough these tribal relationships and religious practises remained until the age of Islam, Yemen was regularly exposed to the message of monotheism, and had an intimate relationship with the ancient prophets; some adhered to the call, while others faced divine retribution for their outright spurning and aggression against prophets.
1 Hourani, Albert, A History of the Arab Peoples, pp 10 11. Introduction xvii
Hadhramawt, a Governorate of Yemen retaining its name since half a millennia before Christ , for example, was the site of two Prophets Hūd and āli who were sent to their tribes, Ād and amūd. Ād arrogant and emboldened by their technological advancement at establishing the world’s fi rst several story high abodes, rejected Prophet Hūd’s call to worship one God. Believing that their lo y buildings could withstand God’s punishment, they challenged Prophet Hūd to bring a destruction which they could not withstand. God reigned down upon them winds and storms for seven days, levelling all of what they had established in opposition to Him. amūd, despite watching the levelling of their neighbours, did not learn from what occurred right before them. Rather than depend on technology, they resorted to a stronger defence, nature, to be resolute in the face of winds. amūd sought refuge by hewing out abodes in mountains, assuming that God could not destroy entire mountainous ranges. is time, a massive earthquake struck, followed by dust storms which engulfed them. eir eventual destructions and preservation of their remains as reminders of God’s power was well known amongst the Arabs with their stories passed down between the generations. Hadhramawt is identifi ed in the Bible in Genesis 10:26 and 1 Chronicles 1:20, while the 11 th chapter of the r’an is named a er Prophet Hūd ; and there are numerous other verses alluding to their story such as in Sūrah al Mo’min, “O my people! Surely I fear for you the like of what befell the groups. e like of what befell the people of Nū , Ād and amūd.” 2 A er Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) established the Ka bah in Mecca as the symbolism of God’s absolute unity, nearby Yathrib became home to Jews and Christians alike who were awaiting their next prophet. Just as many Jews travelled from Syria to Hijāz, many also se led in
2 r’an , Sūrah al Ghafi r (40), verses 30 31. xviii A Land Most Goodly
Yemen. e r’an 3 also mentions this referring to a particular sect, the al Saduqiyya (Sadducees), as those who held the Prophet Uzayr (Ezra) as the son of God. Yemen’s interaction with Mecca and Yathrib thus made for it to be a prime region of religious curiosity, debate, worship, religious paraphernalia o en relayed particularly through early revelation, poetry and story telling. With its fl uid movement of interaction for migration, religion, trade, war and marriage, accessed by the Indian Ocean on one side, northern Arabia on the other, and Africa and Persia further afi eld, Yemen was also a hub for ancient languages, though the majority of them are no longer extant, like many of its tribes. Classical Arabic, or fu ā, is very much indebted to the Yemenī regional dialects. Formed in the Peninsula from a mixture of Semitic languages in antiquity, regional Yemenī languages developed from the Himyrataic language used in the 1st century B.C., Modern and Old Southern Arabian languages, the vast majority of which are now extinct. Until today, classical Arabic as used specifi cally by Yemenī tribes is studied in comparison to their northern, Hijāzī and Kufi dialects. 4 Pre Islamic Yemen was well known for its production of fruits, dates and grains. Its mountainous ranges peaks, some as high as 4,000 metres above sea level, received heavy rain from the monsoons of the Indian ocean. ough Yemen had no rivers for easy traveling, wells and seasonal streams encouraged irrigation, cultivation, animal rearing and travel. Yemen, prior to Islam was also known for its beautiful cloths, cloaks5 and other products, the quality of which was unavailable in other parts
3 r’an , Sūrah al Tawbah (9), verse 30. 4 Zubaydi, Dr. Abd al Kareem al , Commentary of Sharh Ibn Aqeel ‘Ala Alfi yati Ibn Mālik at h ps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RkIy0B1MA6w (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 5 e adīth corpus is replete with narrations about purchasing and using Yemenī cloaks. Introduction xix of Arabia. Some of these were mentioned by Alī ibn Abī ālib in a sermon when he spoke about the wonders of creation, and he mentioned the peacock as one of Allah’s most beautiful and unique creations, vividly comparing the magnifi cence of the two saying: You would imagine its feathers to be sticks made of silver and the wonderful circles and sun shaped feathers growing thereon to be of pure gold and pieces of green emerald. If you likened them to anything growing on land, you would say that it is a bouquet of fl owers collected every spring. If you likened them to cloths, they would be like printed apparels or amazing variegated cloths of Yemen. 6 If you likened them to ornaments then they would be like gems of diff erent colour with studded silver. 7 He also said: e peacock walks with vanity and pride, and throws open its tail and wings, and laughs admiring the handsomeness of its dress and the hues of its necklace of gems. But when it casts a glance at its legs it cries out loudly with a voice which indicates its call for help and displays its true grief, because its legs are thin like the legs of Indo Persian cross bred cocks. At the end of its shin there is a thin thorn and on the crown of its head there is a bunch of green variegated feathers. Its neck begins in the shape of a goblet and it stretches up to its belly like the hair dye of Yemen8 in colour, or
6 e Arabic text is as follows:
ﺗَ َﺨ ُﺎل ﻗَ َﺼﺒَ ُﻪ َﻣ َﺪ ِار َى ِﻣ ْﻦ ِﻓ ﱠﻀﺔ، َو َﻣﺎ أُﻧْ َﺒِﺖ َﻋﻠَﻴْ َﻬﺎ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﻋ ِﺠ ِﻴﺐ َد َاراﺗِ ِﻪ َو ُﺷُﻤ ِﻮﺳ ِﻪ َﺧﺎﻟِ َﺺ اﻟْ ِﻌ ْﻘﻴَ ِﺎن، َو ِﻓﻠَ َﺬ ﱠاﻟﺰﺑَ ْﺮ َﺟ ِﺪ. ﻓَ ْﺈن ﺷَﺒﱠ ْﻬﺘَ ُﻪ ِ َﺎ أَﻧْﺒَﺘَ ِﺖ ْاﻻْر ُض ﻗُﻠْ َﺖ: َﺟ ِﻨ ﱞﻰ ُﺟ ِﻨ َﻰ ِﻣ ْﻦ َز ْﻫ َﺮ ِة ﻛُﻞﱢ َر ِﺑﻴﻊ، َو ْإن َﺿ َﺎﻫﻴْﺘَ ُﻪ ِﺑﺎﻟْ ِﻤﻼﺑ ِﺲ ﻓَ ُﻬ َﻮ َﻛَﻤ ْﻮ ِ ﱢﳽ اﻟْ ُﺤﻠَ ِﻞ أَ ْو ُﻛَﻤﻮﻧِ ِﻖ َﻋ ْﺼ ِﺐ اﻟَ َﻴﻤ ِﻦ، َو ْإن ﺷَﺎﻛَﻠْﺘَ ُﻪ ِﺑﺎﻟْ ُﺤ ِ ﱢﲇ ﻓَ ُﻬ َﻮ ُﻛَﻔُﺼﻮص َذ ِات أَﻟْ َﻮان، ﻗَ ْﺪ ﻧُﻄﱢ َﻘ ْﺖ ِﺑﺎﻟﻠﱡ َﺠ ْ ِ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻜﻠﱠ ِﻞ . 7 Al Radhi, Sharif, Nahj al Balaghah, Sermon 165 h ps://www.al islam.org/ nahjul balagha part 1 sermons/sermon 165 allah hal provided wonderful creations (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 8 e Arabic text is as follows: xx A Land Most Goodly
like silk cloth put on a polished mirror which looks like it has been covered with a black veil, except that on account of its excessive lustre and extreme brightness it appears that a lush green colour has been mixed with it.9 Alī ibn Abī ālib’s extensive knowledge about Yemen and its produce was not borne out of his interactions as a nearby Hijāzī. Rather Imam Alī spent several weeks in Yemen, it was he who converted the entire region to Islam in only one day! Prophet Mu ammad had previously sent two delegations, preaching for six months, but neither of hem were successful in bringing the curious Yemenī tribes to the religion of Allah . Alī ibn Abī ālib went there to collect taxes, teach the religion and off er judgements, many of which were considered extraordinary. Yemen always remained a source of fondness and support for Alī ibn Abī ālib , who o en refered to his experience as an example for others to follow. In his famous le er to Mālik al Ashtar on how to correctly govern Egypt, he drew on the advice given to him by the Prophet , before his embarked and wrote: e particular thing by which you should purify your religion for Allah should be the fulfi lment of those obligations which are especially for Him. erefore, devote to Allah some of your physical activity during the night and the day, and whatever (worship) you perform for seeking nearness to Allah should
َ ْ ِﴚ َﻣ ْ َﴚ اﻟْ َﻤ ِﺮ ِح اﻟْ ُـﻤ ْﺨﺘَ ِﺎل، َوﻳَﺘَ َﺼ ُﻔﱠﺢ َذﻧَﺒَ ُﻪ َو َﺟ َﻨ َﺎﺣ ُﻪ، ﻓَﻴُ َﻘ ْﻬ ِﻘ ُﻪ َﺿ ِﺎﺣﻜﺎً ﻟِ َﺠ َ ِل ِ ْﴎﺑَﺎﻟِ ِﻪ، َوأَ َﺻ ِﺎﺑﻴﻎِ ِو ِﺷَﺎﺣ ِﻪ; ﻓَ َﺈذا َر َﻣ ﻰ ِﺑﺒَ َ ِﴫ ِه ِإﱃَ ﻗَ َﻮ ِ اِ ِﻪ َزﻗَﺎ ُﻣ ْﻌ ِﻮﻻً ِﺑ َﺼ ْﻮت ﻳَ َﻜ ُﺎد ﻳُ ُﺒِ َﻋ ِﻦ ْاﺳ ِﺘ َﻐﺎﺛَ ِﺘ ِﻪ، َوﻳَ َﺸْﻬ ُﺪ ِﺑ َﺼ ِﺎد ِق ﺗَ َﻮ ﱡﺟ ِﻌ ِﻪ، ِﻻ ﱠن ﻗَ َﻮ ِا َُﻪ ُﺣ ْﻤﺶٌ َﻛَﻘ َﻮاﺋِ ِﻢ ﱢاﻟﺪﻳَ َﻜ ِﺔ اﻟْ ِﺨ ِﻼَﺳﻴﱠ ِﺔ. َوﻗَ ْﺪ ﻧَ َﺠ َﻤ ْﺖ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻇُ ْﻨﺒُ ِﻮب َﺳ ِﺎﻗ ِﻪ ِﺻ ِﻴﺼﻴَ ٌﺔ َﺧ ِﻔﻴﱠ ٌﺔ، َوﻟَ ُﻪ ِﰲ َﻣ ْﻮ ِﺿﻊِ اﻟْ ُﻌ ْﺮ ِف ﻗُ ْﻨ ُﺰ َﻋ ٌﺔ َﺧ ْ َﴬ ُاء ُﻣ َﻮ ﺷﱠﺎةٌ، َو َﻣ ْﺨ َﺮ ُج َﻋ ُﻨ ِﻘ ِﻪ ﻛﺎﻻْﺑْ ِﺮ ِﻳﻖ، َو َﻣ َﻐ ُﺮز َﻫﺎ إﱃَ َﺣﻴْ ُﺚ ﺑَﻄْ ُﻨ ُﻪ ِﻛَﺼﺒْﻎِ اﻟْ َﻮ ِﺳ َﻤ ِﺔ اﻟْـﻴَ َـﻧِﻴﱠ ِﺔ، أَ ْو َﻛَﺤ ِﺮ َﻳﺮة ُﻣﻠْﺒَ َﺴﺔ ِﻣ ْﺮآةً َذ َات ِﺻ َﻘﺎل، َوﻛَﺄَﻧﱠ ُﻪ ُﻣﺘَﻠَ ٌﻔﱢﻊ ِ ِ ْﻌ َﺠﺮ أَ ْﺳ َﺤ َﻢ; إﻻﱠ أﻧﱠ ُﻪ ﻳُ َﺨﻴﱠﻞُ ﻟِ َﻜ ْ¥َ ِة َﻣﺎﺋِ ِﻪ، َو ِﺷ ﱠﺪ ِة ﺑَ ِﺮ ِﻳﻘ ِﻪ، أَ ﱠن اﻟْ ُﺨ ْ َﴬةَ ﱠاﻟﻨ ِ َﺎﴐةَ ُﻣ ْﻤﺘَ ِﺰ َﺟ ٌﺔ ِﺑ ِﻪ، 9 Ibid. Introduction xxi
be complete, without defect or defi ciency, whatsoever physical exertion it may involve. When you lead the prayers for the people, do not scare them away from it (by prolonging it), nor waste it (by making it too short), because among the people there are those who are sick, as well as those who have needs of their own. When the Holy Prophet sent me to Yemen 10 I asked him how to lead the prayers. He advised me, ‘Off er prayers like a weak and old person and be kind to the faithful’ (so that weak and old persons may follow your prayers easily and happily).11 Yemen long remained a regional support for the family of the Prophet and Alī ibn Abī ālib , and also for the Ahlul Bayt throughout the shi ing times until the present time. Modern History of Yemen Today however, much of Yemen lies in ruins, and millions of people are living in dire poverty at the hands of a Saudi lead war of decimation upon it. What was once the location of Islam’s greatest single conversion to Islam, has been besieged by a war of ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, the poisoning of water supplies, trade embargos and mass starvation as a political weapon. In the year 2010 began what came to be known as ‘ e Arab Spring’ in which some 18 Arab and African nations spontaneously initiated civil uprisings. Each nation, independent from the other, sought socio political
10 e Arabic text is as follows:
َوﻟْﻴَ ُﻜ ْﻦ ِﰲ َﺧ ﱠﺎﺻ ِﺔ َﻣ ﺎ ﺗُ ْﺨ ِﻠ ُﺺ ﻟﻠﻪ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِد َﻳﻨ َﻚ: ِإﻗَ َﺎﻣ ُﺔ ﻓَ َﺮاﺋِ ِﻀ ِﻪ اﻟﱠﺘﻲ ِﻫ َﻲ ﻟَ ُﻪ َﺧ ﱠﺎﺻ ًﺔ، ﻓَﺄَ ْﻋ ِﻂ َاﻟﻠﻪ ِﻣﻦ ﺑَ َﺪﻧِ َﻚ ِﰲ ﻟَﻴْ ِﻠ َﻚ َوﻧَ َﻬ ِﺎر َك ، َو َو ﱢف َﻣﺎ ﺗَ َﻘ ﱠﺮﺑْ َﺖ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِإﱃَ ِاﻟﻠﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ ذﻟِ َﻚ ﻛَﺎﻣﻼً َﻏ ْ ªَ َﻣﺜْﻠُﻮم َوﻻَ َﻣ ْﻨ ُﻘﻮص، ﺑَﺎﻟِﻐﺎً ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺑَ َﺪﻧِ َﻚ َﻣﺎ ﺑَﻠَ َﻎ. َو ِإ َذا ﻗُ ْﻤ َﺖ ِﰲ ﺻﻼَﺗِ َﻚ ﻟِ ﱠﻠﻨ ِﺎس، ﻓَ ﻼَ ﺗَ ُﻜﻮﻧَ ﱠﻦ ُﻣ َﻨ ِﻔّﺮاً َوﻻَ ُﻣ َﻀﻴﱢﻌﺎً، ﻓَ ِﺈ ﱠن ِﰲ ﱠاﻟﻨ ِﺎس َﻣ ْﻦ ِﺑ ِﻪ اﻟْ ِﻌﻠﱠ ُﺔ َوﻟَ ُﻪ اﻟْ َﺤ َﺎﺟ ُﺔ. َوﻗَ ْﺪ َﺳﺄَﻟْ ُﺖ َر ُﺳ َﻮل ِاﻟﻠﻪ (ﺻﲆ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وآﻟﻪ) ِﺣ َ َو ﱠﺟ َﻬ ِﻨﻲ ِإﱃَ اﻟَ ِﻴﻤﻦ ﻛَﻴْ َﻒ أُ َﺻﲇﱢ ِﺑ ِﻬ ْﻢ؟ ﻓَ َﻘ َﺎل: َ«ﺻﻞﱢ ِﺑ ِﻬ ْﻢ َﻛَﺼ ِﻼَة أَ ْﺿ َﻌ ِﻔ ِﻬ ْﻢ، َو ْﻛُﻦ ِﺑﺎﻟْ ُﻤ ْﺆ ِﻣ ِﻨ َ َر ِﺣﻴً ». 11 Al Radhi, Sharif, Nahj al Balaghah, le er 53, h ps://www.al islam.org/nahjul balagha part 2 le ers and sayings/le er 53 order malik al ashtar (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). xxii A Land Most Goodly changes, ranging from civil reforms to revolution to the overthrow of despot or repressive regimes. ough beginning in Tunisia, Yemenīs witnessed Egypt overthrow dictator Hosni Mubarak; Libya exerted mob justice on Mu’ Ammār Ghaddafi ; mass demonstrations happened by Bahrainis against a deeply oppressive monarchy, and the same occurred in Saudi Arabia. Arguably the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafi q Hariri, and the subsequent arrests of security chiefs charged with their collusion in the killing had another great visual impact on the potential of justice. David Gardner states, “ e spectacle of four generals in an Arab country’s security services being held over the assassination of a politician was not just unusual it was unique. It electrifi ed the Arab world, introducing into people’s minds the profoundly subversive idea that Arab despots, for long untouchable within a political culture of unbridled power and legal impunity, could be held to account.”12 Yemenī’s long oppressed and downtrodden by President Ali Abdullāh Saleh sought their own revolution and just government. Yemen’s present circumstances, like much of the Middle East, can be traced to post World War 2 independence of the Arab world. Yemen’s primary distinguishing feature has always been its relationship with Zaydīsm, a form of Shī ism, distinguished from their Ithnā Asheri and Ismā ilī counterparts. As early as the 9 th century A.D., Yemen was a majority Zaydī region and remained as such even while mainstream Shī ism declined during the 11 th century across the Muslim lands, allowing it to proceed as a hub of Shī ism. Yemen also remained largely independent during the O oman control, with power retained by the Zaydī Imams, only sporadically coming under Caliphate control. With the demise of the O oman Empire came the domination of British and French powers over Arabia, each carving up states at the behest of their
12 Hourani, Albert, A History of the Arab Peoples , p. 469 (Originally from Gardner’s, Last Chance e Middle East in the Balance , 2nd ed. (London, 2012) pp. 134 5). Introduction xxiii mandates. Only parts of the Arabian peninsula remained free from Arab rule including Yemen. Now an independent state, Yemen formally adopted Zaydī Imamate and leadership in its name, while concurrently Abdul al Azīz al Sā ud ascended to monarchical and dictatorial rule in Hijāz, creating its neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Neither state could be entirely free as British power remained around and in both countries. While Saudi cooperation with Britain grew stronger long with its administrative rule, Yemen’s Imamate was not able to extend its rule over the entire region, as some tribal loyalties remained with British rule, eventually causing the division of North and South Yemen. In 1962 the Zaydī ruler died and his successor was quickly deposed. e Imamate was renamed the Yemen Arab Republic in the North, while the South was known as the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. e North, a coalition made up of liberals, the army and tribal support joined the Arab League at its inception, while the South joined 22 years later in 1967, a sign of its isolation from other Arab states. Not all accepted the new government, especially those who retained strong support for the Zaydī Imamate. e government sought help from the Egyptian army, while the Zaydī loyalists called on neighbouring Saudi Arabia, to which several years of civil war ensued, with a wider proxy war between the two larger nations being played out. With the defeat of Abd al Nā ir in 1967, Egypt pulled their forces out of Yemen. Arguably one of the strongest reasons for the modern day political climate was the Arab states’ a itudes toward Israeli occupation and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in the 1970’s. Arab nationalism and separate interests of competing economic and military power had allowed a new Western power of infl uence to replace fading British and French infl uence and that was the United States of America. Seen as protector to the encroaching Russia and the gateway to a capitalist economy, the US demanded political compromise with Israel or at the very least indiff erence. ose who submi ed would receive US support and fi nancing; and those who did not would be considered an enemy. e Arab world split broadly xxiv A Land Most Goodly into those two camps with Algeria, Libya, Iraq, the PLO and South Yemen not bowing to US bribery over their stance towards Israel. e fi rst group, the remaining Arab states would soon turn neutralism towards Israel into a generally pro West national policy. e Revolution to Overthrow Despotism Yemen’s participation in the Arab spring started in January 2011. Saudi Arabia paid particular interest to events in Yemen, not only since Saleh was its ally, but internal unrest at home and a democratic revolution gaining strength in Bahrain could quickly see all three states fall to Shi’i lead movements. Yemenī’s well experienced with the external hand of Saudi repression and infl uence in their own country, were sympathetic to the plight of the Bahraini and Saudi citizens seeking to overthrow their respective governments, and they voiced their support for the democratic revolutions in the neighbouring countries. eir tacit support for their Arab brothers against despot rulers was not to be forgo en by the monarchs of Saudi Arabia. Seeing the Middle East being reshaped, demonstrators initially protested against governmental proposals to modify the constitution, unemployment, economic conditions and corruption, with demands soon including Saleh’s resignation. Saleh agreed to cede power in exchange for immunity from prosecutions, but on three separate occasions he backed out of the deal. On the 3rd of June he was injured in an assassination a empt and was evacuated by the Saudi government handing power to his vice president, Mansur al Hadi, to continue his rule and policies. Despite injury, Saleh returned a er three months with Saudi backing to resume control, but with the promise not to run in the upcoming presidential election. e election in the following year saw al Hadi stand as the only candidate, who ‘won’ 99.8% of the country’s votes. is only escalated the opposition towards the government; and two main groups of opposition emerged. e fi rst, Ikhwan al Muslimeen, or e Muslim Brotherhood akin to their Egyptian counterparts, waged an Introduction xxv unsuccessful campaign to remove what was a de facto military government. e second, successful in overthrowing the dictatorship, was undertaken by Houthi rebels, known as Ansar Allah or e Helpers of God. On the 22 nd of January 2015, Ansar Allah stormed the capital Sana’a and removed both of those who were loyal to Saleh and those working directly for the Saudi government. AnsarAllah had been hostile to the Salehi government since the early 2000’s with several insurgencies and peace agreements being kept and broken. In 2009 however, a larger push to remove Saleh began in which the Saudi government militarily intervened with support for the Yemenī regime, quelling the Houthi movement, only to arise again in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring. On the 21 st of March 2015, a er rejecting a proposal to split the country into six federal regions, Ansar Allah took over the government and continued its expedition through the country to also remove al Hadi, who then subsequently fl ed the country. On the 25 th of March, Saudi Arabia, with a coalition of Arab states, supported by British and American intelligence and armament, began a mass bombing campaign against the Houthi government in order to restore the Saleh/al Hadi dictatorship. From the perspective of Ansar Allah, their aim was to establish an independent government. e threat of Saudi interests was solely the religious and political alignments of the Houthi, being Zaydī Shi’i and rejecting Saudi hegemony in their country. is has been the incentive for the Saudis to crush the Houthi government and since then have carried out a massive bombing campaign against military, civilian and residential targets for more than three years. e Present Day Desperate Situation e United Nations and independent aid agencies are unanimous: the bombing campaign and embargo’s have lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. According to many, Yemen is today the world’s largest and most urgent human crisis zone with famine, lack of drinking water, working sanitation, xxvi A Land Most Goodly a devastated economy and mass infl ation. Two million people are suff ering from acute malnutrition. In a joint statement by the World Health Organisation, the UN Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme, Yemen presently has “the world’s worst cholera outbreak in the midst of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.” Bismarck Swinging, a communication specialist for Unicef Yemen stated, “When you look at the number of children who are starving to death due to malnourishment, and now that is compounded by a cholera outbreak, children are not only being killed directly as a result of the confl ict, but more children are at risk and could die from indirect consequences.” Caroline Anning, senior confl ict and humanitarian advocacy adviser for Save the Children stated, “ is is an off the scale humanitarian crisis, much bigger than what we see in Syria, much bigger than in other parts of the world, and it happens in the background almost, it doesn’t get the same amount of a ention.” 13 Alex de Waal, author of the book Mass Starvation: e History and Future of Famine states that, “Yemen is the greatest famine atrocity of our lifetimes. e Saudis are deliberately destroying the country’s food producing infrastructure. e United States and the European countries, if they cared about it enough, have enough leverage to get the Saudis and the Emeratis to stop bombing agricultural, health, and market infrastructure, open the ports, and have a much less restrictive defi nition about what food is allowed in. ey also need to start a peace process. is is not a war that is going to be won in any meaningful sense. It is a political[ly] created famine and it will have to be solved by political[ly] created means.”14 Each time a treaty starts to be discussed or make positive steps, the Saudi led bombing campaign targets civilians and vital infrastructure for
13 h ps://amp.theguardian.com/global development/2017/jul/27/childrens crisis yemen confl ict 80 percent kids urgent aid acute malnutrition (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 14 h ps://phys.org/news/2018 01 mass starvation political weapon.amp?__ twi er_impression=true (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). Introduction xxvii
Yemen so they cannot function healthily. An example among the many is a hospital supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the internationally renown medical aid agency, which was bombed where at least 11 people were killed and 19 were injured in an airstrike. Teresa Sancristóval, MSF desk manager for the Emergency Unit in Yemen said: “ is is the fourth a ack against an MSF facility in less than 12 months.” Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations who was previously based in Yemen said, “When you are seeing a country where your reaction to the hospital is not just shock and horror, but rather a sad shrug, that is a testament to how desperate the situation in Yemen really is right now. You are also seeing the absolute collapse of the health system even in areas that are distant from the war.”15 Sadly this type of war crime is the norm even with weddings, schools, bridges, clinics, factories and distribution centres which have been hit adding to the plight of the already devastated country. It appears that this oppression of Central Arabia upon its Southern neighbour is something that even Prophet Mu ammad predicted and warned about. It has been narrated by Bukhārī from Abdullāh ibn Umar that Prophet Mu ammad said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham (Syria) and our Yemen.” e people said, “Our Najd as well.” e Prophet again said, “O Allah! Bless our Sham and Yemen.” ey said again, “Our Najd as well.” On that the Prophet said, “ ere will appear earthquakes and affl ictions, and from there will come out the side of the head of Satan.”16 It is interesting that the Prophet specifi cally prayed for the blessings of God to be upon Syria and Yemen, and not upon the Najdi Arabs from where the modern Saudi Arabian leadership hail from at present when both Syria and Yemen have been decimated by Saudi led coalitions.
15 h ps://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/15/saudi led air strike yemen hospital kills at least seven (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 16 a ī al Bukhārī, vol. 2, book 17, number 147. xxviii A Land Most Goodly
e aims of this book It was in the light of such devastating and urgent circumstances that I decided to write this short book on the conversion of the region of Yemen to Islam at the time of the holy Prophet Mu ammad and its experience with the Commander of the Faithful, Alī ibn Abī ālib therea er. I had long since desired to write a book on the delegation of Alī ibn Abī ālib to Yemen. is is because while many Muslims are aware of the events at Ghadīr Khumm a er the ‘Farewell Pilgrimage’ of the Prophet where he made an announcement about Alī ibn Abī ālib , they are oblivious to the events that immediately preceded it, that being the conversion of Yemen to Islam. My focus was planned to study in detail the events that followed the region’s conversion to Islam, particularly the small genre of narrations that describe some of the companions being critical or accusing Alī ibn Abī ālib of misconduct while there. ese were of interest because of their relationship to the event of Ghadīr Khumm and whether the sermon at Ghadīr by the Prophet was a response to the apparent accusations of Imam Alī or they were said despite them. at is to say, whether these rumours caused the Prophet to announce his friendship with Alī ibn Abī ālib as is one historical view, or whether the announcement was the Prophet appointing Imam Alī as Caliph a er him, as is the other view. As many Muslims may not have known about the events following the conversion of Yemen, the study would have started at the point of Alī ibn Abī ālib’s deputation. In any case, until now I did not have a chance to commence that work, however I have briefl y included some of the narrations and points as they are pertinent to the story of Yemen’s conversion to Islam. It was upon the unexpected passing away of my uncle Amirali Lakha, a commi ed humanitarian, on the 10 th of January this year that commi ed me to writing this book, the reward of which is dedicated to him. e purpose of this small book is four fold: Introduction xxix
1. e primary goal is to raise urgent charitable donations for the humanitarian plight of the oppressed and devastated Yemenī community through the sale of this book. 2. As part of this, there needs to be awareness raised about their plight and the level of destruction that the Saudi led coalition has meted out on what always should have been an internal ma er for the Yemenī people to resolve. People across the world, especially the Muslims, have a duty to pressurise their governments into being part of the political solution. 3. is leads to the third aspiration which is to raise awareness about the role of Britain and the United States of America in this ongoing crime against humanity. e fi ghter jets, bombs, missiles, training and technologies used by Saudi Arabia are mainly from the British, French and US governments, or contracts that they have signed allowing the industrial military complex to export to them. For every death and disease contracted, for every pain of hunger and emotional trauma brought about by this campaign of quelling the revolution, it is upon the British, French and US government heads as well. Only a few days before writing this, the US Senate shamefully voted to reject a bill that would have halted the nation’s military support for Saudi Arabia. Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said, “Water and sanitation systems have been bombed out of commission by Saudi Arabian airstrikes and they receive direct support from the US military.” In addition, “ e US and the UK backed Saudi led coalition has bombed civilians and blocked the delivery of life saving healthcare and medicine. is is a violation of international humanitarian law and indefensible” said David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Commi ee. 17
17 h ps://www.mintpressnews.com/in wake of shameful senate vote unicef issues new cholera warning for yemen/239553/ (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). xxx A Land Most Goodly
At the time of completing the writing (of this book), the Saudi and UAE coalition have begun a war to capture the port city of Hudeidah, crippling the humanitarian aid services of which 80% use the port as a point of entry into the country. is has no doubt exacerbated the already disastrous situation. It is also the duty of the righteous people of Britain and the US, especially Muslims, to do whatever they can to stop their governments or the weapons companies that export mass destructions to Yemen. 4. e fourth purpose of this book is to raise awareness of the important role that Yemen had in the early history of Islam. is small work aims to collect the story of Yemen from its pre Islamic era with the ancient prophets, to the story of its conversion at the time of the holy Prophet Mu ammad , the subsequent events that aff ected its history, and their relation to Alī ibn Abī ālib . Many Muslims, who adore and cherish Imam Alī , are largely unaware of his contribution to Islam in relation to Yemen, and to learn about his achievements there will not only increase our appreciation of his greatness, but also make us realise how devastated he would be to see that the country which he brought to Islam is being decimated the way it is today. Such a pain in his heart should be an inspiration for us to help halt these atrocities from occurring. In light of this point that Alī ibn Abī ālib would be distraught at seeing the suff ering of the Yemenī people and its beautiful region being turned into a theatre of war, I off er a fi nal narration to this introduction from Alī ibn Abī ālib himself. In regards to the suff erings of the Arab people, he said: I wished I could have taken the way leading towards (worldly pleasures like) pure honey, fi ne wheat and silk clothes, but it cannot be that my passions lead me and greed takes me to choosing good meals, while in the Hijāz or in Yamamah there may be people who have no hope of ge ing bread or who do not have Introduction xxxi
a full meal. Shall I lie with a satiated belly while around me there may be hungry bellies and thirsty livers? Or shall I be as the poet has said: It is enough for you to have a disease that you lie with your belly full while around you people may be badly yearning for dried leather.18 us, this book is wri en for the purpose of sale to raise money for the desperate plight of our brothers and sisters in Yemen. All of the money raised will go towards clean water, food and medical aid supplies. While we do not wish to limit the donations of the generous people who wish to purchase this book, we do however want to set a minimum. We also want to encourage those who purchase the book, not just to buy it as a charitable donation and then leave it on the shelf to gather dust or be le downloaded on a phone, but rather to benefi t from its content, and the phenomenal role that Yemen played in the earliest days of Islam. e title of this book, ‘A Blessed Land ’ is rendered from the title ﺑَﻠْ َﺪةٌ ﻃَﻴﱢﺒﱠ ٌﺔ Baldatun Tayyibatun given to Yemen in the Holy r’an. 19 is means that Yemen being adorned with such a title is from Allah Himself. erefore there can be no beer way to refer to Yemen, nor a more preferable title to this work reminding the Muslim community about the importance that Yemen has in Islam by the mention of Allah’s name for the country.
18 Al Radhī, Sharīf, Nahj al Balaghah, Le er 45, h ps://www.al islam.org/nahjul balagha part 2 le ers and sayings/le er 45 Uthmān ibn hunayf al An ārī (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). e Arabic text is as follows:
َوﻟَ ْﻮ ِﺷﺌْ ُﺖ ْﻻَﻫﺘَ َﺪﻳْ ُﺖ اﻟﻄﱠ ِﺮ َﻳﻖ، ِإﱃَ ُﻣ َﺼﻔﱠﻰ َﻫﺬا اﻟْ َﻌ َﺴ ِﻞ، َوﻟُﺒَ ِﺎب َﻫﺬا اﻟْ َﻘ ْﻤ ِﺢ، َوﻧَ َﺴﺎﺋِ ِﺞ َﻫﺬا اﻟْ َﻘ ﱢﺰ، َو ِﻟﻜ ْﻦ َﻫﻴْ َﻬ َﺎت أَ ْن ﻳَ ْﻐ ِﻠﺒَ ِﻨﻲ َﻫ َﻮ َاي، َوﻳَ ُﻘ َﻮد ِ· َﺟ ِﺸَﻌﻲ ِإﱃَ ﺗَ َﺨ ﱡ ªِ اﻻْﻃْ ِﻌ َﻤ ِﺔ َوﻟَ َﻌﻞﱠ ِﺑﺎﻟْ ِﺤ َﺠ ِﺎز أَ ِو ِﺑﺎﻟْـﻴَ َ َﻣ ِﺔ َﻣ ْﻦ ﻻَﻃَ َﻤ َﻊ ﻟَ ُﻪ ِﰲ اﻟْ ُﻘ ْﺮ ِص، َوﻻَ َﻋ ْﻬ َﺪ ﻟَ ُﻪ ِﺑﺎﻟﺸﱢﺒَﻊِ أَ ْو أَ ِﺑ َﻴﺖ ِﻣﺒْﻄَﺎﻧﺎً َو َﺣ ْﻮ ِﱄ ﺑُﻄُ ٌﻮن َﻏ ْﺮ َ¸ َوأَﻛْﺒَ ٌﺎد َﺣ ﱠﺮى، أَ ْو أَ َﻛُﻮن َﻛَ ﻗَ َﺎل اﻟْ َﻘﺎﺋِ ﻞُ : َو َﺣ ْﺴﺒُ َﻚ َد ًاء أَ ْن ﺗَ َﺒِﻴﺖ ِﺑﺒِﻄْ َﻨﺔ * َو َﺣ ْﻮﻟَ َﻚ أَﻛْﺒَ ٌﺎد ﺗَ ِﺤ ﱡﻦ ِإﱃَ اﻟْ ِﻘ ﱢﺪ 19 r’an , Sūrah al Sabā (34), verse 15. xxxii A Land Most Goodly
e philosophy behind the cover was to bring together the devastation of the country by the Saudi led war on it and Yemen’s ancient but honoured Islamic history. e designer notes that the sand coloured theme represents Yemen’s great deserts and harsh terrain, contributing to its being the poorest Arab country, even prior to the invasion. In the middle is the outline of the country with its borders burnt, representing the country being set alight by the savage and overwhelming destruction of the air raids besieging the country. In the middle are three distinct images: To the le is a child protesting the war; to the right is the image of a dismayed and weeping Yemeni child; and in the middle are four happy children, at the prospect of resuming their normal life, free from the invasion. My sincerest thanks goes to Sheikh Mahmood Abdullah and Sajida Khatun for proofreading; Zulfi kar Hussein for designing the covers; e Muslim Vibe (www.themuslimvibe.com) for their support; e World Federation Aid (www.wfaid.org); and the Islamic Humanitarian Service (www.al haqq.net) teams for distributing the funds raised; Sheikh Saleem Bhimji and his wife, Sister Arifa Hudda for their eff orts in bringing this project to fruition. Your thanks comes from the Yemeni people and your rewards are with Allah . All praise and thanks belong to Allah . May His blessings be upon all of His prophets and messengers, especially His last Prophet Mu ammad and his progeny.
Jaff er Ladak Rajab 1438/March 2018 Kerbala al Muqaddasa Chapter 1 Ancient Yemen in the r’an
e story of Yemen as a region of the Arabian peninsula is one of great tradition and culture. Much of this tradition was circulated and retold amongst the Arab peoples by the priests of religion, soothsayers, poets, tradesmen who travelled to distant lands and tribal leaders. Many of these stories were moral tales or lessons to be imparted to a community eager to exchange learnings and compete for religious and tribal rites. e r’an states, “Indeed We have sent messengers to every community”20 and, “We have not sent a messenger except in the language of the people, so that they may make (the message) clear to them.”21 e fact is that stories and lessons of the great events of Yemen were discussed and debated so vigorously across Arabia by a community that were skilled in the arts of memorisation and were also weaved into a story through the art of composing beautiful poetry for competition, and in addition, the Holy r’an also sought to eternalise these stories in its revelation. To some poeple, these were just “stories of the ancients” from another soothsayer prophet, aiming to take the tribes away from their system of living and worship of idols. However, the reality was that Yemen had an
20 r’an , Surah al Nahl (16), verse 36. 21 r’an , Surah Ibrahim (14), verse 4. 34 A Land Most Goodly intimate and profound past with prophets, miracles and great communities of faith and denial; these could not be lost to poetry or storytelling, but it required recording and understanding so that the people of Arabia and the world could take lessons from them. e fact that the inhabitants of the Hijāzī had heard about these great prophets, retained their stories and had even travelled to the places of their histories meant that the earliest recipients of the r’an felt that revelation was speaking to them about their own communities and forefathers; peoples whom they had traded and intermarried with. Yemen’s history was their history and vice versa. It also enlivened the entire region of Yemen to know that their land was the subject of revelation and that a prophet was recounting their history with so much depth and accuracy, such that had even been lost by their own great storytellers. is piqueed the interest of many thousands of Yemenī’s who eventually sent their delegations to the Prophet and received delegations from him. In light of this, our story of Yemen starts with the some of the verses of the r’an that speak about this region, its ancient prophets, tribes and events. We will recount the narratives of ‘ e People of Sheeba, the Prophets Hūd and āli , and ‘ e Story of e Year of e Elephant’ as mentioned in the r’an. As these stories require some explanations, we will also mention the relevant exegesis (tafsīr) to the stories, however owing to the fact that this work is a brief history of Yemen, the commentaries will be limited. For those wishing to research further, they may refer to other commentaries and adīth literature. e People of Sheeba (Saba )
Sūrah Saba (Chapter 34) Verses 15 19 ] ۖ ۖ [ ۚ Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 35
Indeed there was a sign for the (people o) Sheeba in their abode, two gardens on the right and the le ; Eat of the sustenance of your Lord and give thanks to Him (that you have) a pure city and a forgiving Lord.22 Saba is the name of the cultivated land of Yemen. is name, Saba , had been the name of a great personality in that region that was chosen for this land. e biography of this country is instructive. A er the statement of the great bounties that Allah had bestowed upon the Prophets Dāwūd (David) and Sulaymān (Solomon) and that these two Divinely sent prophets acted on the duty of thanksgiving in the preceding verses, verse fi een refers to another nation who was in a state opposite to them, and they lived perhaps in the same time with them or a li le a er them. e people of Sheeba were people whom Allah had granted various kinds of blessings to, but they paved the way of disbelief, and consequently, Allah negated His blessings from them. en they became so sca ered that the story of their lives became a lesson and memorial for the people of the world. e r’an has stated their instructive biography in fi ve verses and it has pointed to some important details and specialties of their lives in these few verses. At fi rst it says: “Indeed there was a sign for the (people o) Sheeba in their abode…” By utilizing the particular spatial conditions and situation of the mountainous region, the talented people could control the fl oods. What could have resulted in destruction was then avoided behind a strong dam which they led to building a habitable country. is Divine sign, originating here from these people will be elaborated upon below, however it should be noted what a great sign it was that a means of destruction was changed into a very important means of development. Scholars are divided as to what Saba was or whose name it referred
22 r’an , Surah Saba (34), verse 15. 36 A Land Most Goodly to. A popular idea is that Saba was the name of the father of the Arabs of Yemen. According to a tradition of the holy Prophet Mu ammad , there was a man by the name of Saba , from whom ten children were born, and from every one of them a tribe from the tribes of the Arabs came into being in that land. Some people believe that Saba was the name of the land of Yemen, or a part of it. e apparent meaning of the r’an in the story of Prophet Sulayman and the hoopoe in Sūrah al Naml, verse 22, also shows that Saba had been the name of a place, where it says: “…and I have come to you from Sheeba with a sure tiding.” e situation here is that the apparent meaning of the verse shows that Saba had been a group of people who lived in that region, because the plural masculine pronoun, ‘hum’ has returned to them. ere is no inconsistency between these two commentaries because it may be that at fi rst Saba had been the name of a person, then all of his off spring and his tribe were entitled by that name, and later this name was also used for their land. en the r’an refers to the explanation of this Divine sign which was given to the people of Saba . It says: “…two gardens in the right and the le …” e story was such that the people of Saba , by building a great dam between the magnifi cent mountains of that region, could store the water from the numerous fl oods which would have caused destruction or at least would have been wasted in the deserts vainly, at the back of that great dam; and by creating some windows in the dam they could take the vast store of water behind it under their own control. us, they succeeded to plant and grow diff erent things in the vast lands over there. ese gardens were so bountiful of fruits and blessings that as history indicates, if a person put a large basket on his head and at the season of fruits, one passed under these trees there he would get so much fruit in it that a er a short time the basket would be fi lled with fruits. Is it not wonderful that a fl ood which is the source of destruction becomes the cause of cultivation? Is it not counted as a sign of Allah? In addition, an extraordinary security existed in that land which itself was counted as one Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 37 of the signs of Allah. is fact will later be referred to in the r’an. en the verse says that Allah told them as follows: “…Eat of the sustenance from your Lord and give thanks to Him (that you have) a pure city and a forgiving Lord.” is short sentence has reiterated a collection of material and spiritual bounties in the most beautiful form. From the point of material bounties, they had a pure and clean land. It was clean from the various pollutions: from thieves and unjust people, from pests and affl ictions, from drought and famine, and from insecurity and terror. It has even been said that their land was clean from harmful insects, as well. eir town had clean air, a pleasant enlivening breeze, and a fertile land with productive trees. From the point of spiritual bounties, they had the forgiveness of Allah. He would overlook their short comings and faults and did not punish them, and He did not involve their land in misfortune. ] [ But they turned away (from Allah), so We sent upon them the Flood of ‘arim, and We gave them in exchange for their two gardens, two gardens bearing bi er produce and tamarisk bushes, and (here and there) a few lote trees.23 rough this verse, the r’an implicitly says that instead of being thankful to Allah, they turned away from Him. ey counted the bounties of Allah as insignifi cant. ey considered the cultivation and security of their land very simple; and forsaked the affl uence of bounties and became neglectful of the remembrance of Allah. eir rich people boasted to the poor and imagined them as bothersome for their own status. e explanation of this will be dealt with in the commentary of later verses. It was here that the lash of punishment was whipped on their bodies, as the r’an says:
23 r’an , Surah Saba (34), verse 16. 38 A Land Most Goodly
But they turned away (from Allah), so We entered upon them the fl ood of ‘arim… e Arabic term ‘arim is derived from ‘aramah in the sense of harshness, ill temper, and strictness; and since fl ood is modifi ed by it, this points to its harshness and destructiveness. The application of the phrase sayl al ‘arim (the fl ood of ‘arim) is so to speak, a kind of addition to emphasise the harshness of the fl ood. Some commentators have rendered the Arabic term ‘arim into fi eld mice which as a result of making holes in this dam, caused its destruction. e Arabic dictionary, Lisan al ‘Arab introduces diff erent meanings about the Arabic term ‘arim including: ‘a tiresome fl ood, barriers which are built between valleys for stopping water, and also a big fi eld mouse’. en the r’an explains the later situation of this land as follows: “… and We gave them in exchange for their two gardens, two gardens bearing bi er produce and tamarisk bushes, and here and there a few lote trees.” e r’anic word ukul means any kind of victuals. e Arabic term xamt means a bi er plant. e Arabic word athl is in the sense of ‘tamarisk bush.’ erefore, instead of those masses of green trees, there remained only a few wild, and deserted trees with a very low value that perhaps, the most important of them was lote tree a few of which were found among them. e statement of these three kinds of trees which remained in that ruined region refers to three diff erent groups of trees: a part of which were harmful, some of them were useless, and some of them were of very li le benefi t. On the whole they had their turning away, ingratitude and Divine punishment as a sequel, of: fl ood, earthquake, tempest, thunder and lightning, and these were not casual or natural events in this sense. [ ] ٰ ۖ is We recompensed them for their disbelief; and do We ever Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 39
recompense any but the ungrateful?24 e Divine retributions were Allah’s way of punishment and a Godly law against evil doers, and they are not exclusive to the people of Sheeba. As a conclusion, this verse explicitly implies that this was a chastisement that Allah gave them for their own infi delity. e verse says: “ is We recompensed them for their disbelief…” But in order that no one considers that this fate belongs to only this group, but it is generally for all of those who have similar actions is certain, it says: “…and do We ever recompense any but the ungrateful?” ] ۖ ۚ ٰ [ And We made between them and the towns which We had blessed (other) towns to be easily seen and between them We had appointed stages of journey in due proportion: ‘Travel therein secure, by night and by day.’ And they said: ‘O our Lord! Place longer distances between our journeys’; and they were unjust to themselves, so We made them stories and We dispersed them all in sca ered fragments. Verily in this there are signs for every patient, grateful one.25
Ingratitude causes the destruction of a person’s life rough these two verses the r’an returns again to the story of the people of Sheeba and explains their story in some more detailed explanation. It refers to their punishment bigger than before and in such a way that it can
24 r’an , Surah Saba (34), verse 17. 25 Ibid., verses 18 19. 40 A Land Most Goodly be an important and instructive lesson for everyone. It implies that Allah made their land so cultivated that not only He caused their cities to become full of bounties but also He appointed between them and the cities that Allah had blessed some other manifest cities. e verse says, “And We made between them and the towns which We had blessed (other) towns apparent…” In fact, between them and the blessed land there were some towns joined together like a chain, and the distances between these towns were so li le that from each of them the other town could be easily seen; and this is the meaning of the r’anic phrase: qurr’an āhirah (towns apparent). Some of the commentators have rendered this phrase in another way. ey say that it refers to the towns which were just manifestly alongside the way and passengers could comfortably stay in them. Or that these towns were upon some high places and they were apparent for the wayfarers to see. As for the location of ‘these blessed towns’ which ever towns they may be, most commentators have rendered it as the towns of old Syria, since this meaning has been mentioned about this land in Sūrah al Isrā’ (chapter 17), verse 1, and in Sūrah al Anbiyā’ (chapter 21), verse 81. But some other commentators say that its area may be the towns of Sana a or Ma’arib both of which were located in the region of Yemen. is commentary is more likely because the distance between Yemen, which is located in the most southern point of Arabia; and Shamat (Syria), which is located in the most northern point and had been covered with some dry and hot deserts, makes the fi rst explanation of the verse seem very improbable. Some commentators also believe that the blessed lands may be the land of Mecca, but this is improbable as well. is explanation was from the point of cultivation, but since cultivation only is not enough, and security is an important and basic condition, the verse adds, “…and between them We had appointed stages of journey in due proportion…” e verse continues and we read, “…Travel therein secure, by night and by day.” Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 41
erefore, the towns had an appropriate distance, and from the point of the a ack of wild and fearsome animals of the desert, or thieves and robbers, they were also in utmost security in a manner that people could travel between them without having any provision or any mount. ey did not need to travel in groups and use some armed persons with them because of fear of insecurity on the way nor distress for a lack of water and food along the way. Based on the phrase “travel therein” there are two probabilities: one of them is that it was conveyed to them by their prophet, and the other is that the mute tongue of that cultivated land and its secure and safe roads was a means of conveying the message to them. Preceding the word layālī before ayy ām in the verse is for the sake of the importance of the existence of security at nights both security from the point of thieves on the way, and also the wild animals of the desert. rough the next verse, the holy r’an implies that these ingratitudes of the people in the face of these great bounties, had thoroughly encompassed their whole living, like many other nations who lived in pleasure, but were involved in pride and negligence. is affl uence of bounty and lack of want caused them to pave the way of ingratitude and they deviated from the path of truth and became heedless of the commands of Allah. Among their demands was that they asked Allah to appoint long distances between their journeys. e verse announces, “And they said: ‘O our Lord! Place longer distances between our journeys’…” eir purpose of asking this strange supplication was that they wanted Allah to set a distance between their cultivated towns and that there would be some dry deserts between them. is was because the rich did not want to let the poor members of the community travel like them freely, without any provision or mount. Travelling was among their boasts, and it was a sign of power and wealth, and they desired that this privilege and superiority be registered for them mainly. Comfort and welfare had made them complacent, the 42 A Land Most Goodly same way that manna and salwa (two heavenly foods) had made the Children of Israel tired, uncontent and they asked Allah for onion, garlic, and lentil. Some have also understood that the sentence, “Place longer distances between our journeys” may point to the fact they had become so pleasure seeking that they were not ready to travel for the purpose of breeding livestock or merchandise and agriculture, and they asked Allah that they would always remain at home and the time between their journeys would be increased. But the fi rst commentary is more correct. Next to this short sentence which is stated about their painful fate, the r’an implies that Allah punished them so seriously that it became a ma er of talk for others. e verse says, “…so We made them stories…” is means that from that furnished living and glorious vast civilization, there remained nothing but some news talked by others, and a remembrance in the minds, and some lines wri en on the pages of histories! e verse continues saying, “…and We dispersed them all in sca ered fragments…” is accords to what was mentioned in the beginning of this chapter than ancient Yemen remained as stories and poetry as lessons to be learned. eir region and town became so ruined that they did not have the ability of living there and in order to continue their lives, they had to go towards diff erent places in diff erent groups. Like leaves in the season of fall which are in a current of storms, everyone of them was thrown to a diff erent corner in a manner that their division became a ‘proverb,’ and whenever people wanted to say that a group was severely sca ered, they used to say, “Like the people of Sheba and their bounties, they have been sca ered.” Some commentators said that the tribe of Qasan went to Syria, Asad went to Amman, the tribe of Khaza ah went toward Tahamah, and the tribe of Anmar went to Yathrib. At the end of the verse, it says “…Verily in this there are signs for every patient, grateful one.” So how can the patient and grateful ones take lessons from these events? e holy r’an uses the Arabic words: abbār (patient) and Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 43 shakūr (thankful) both are in the Arabic amplifi cation form which indicates a statement of repetition and emphasis. is is achieved by controlling insatiable desires by means of patience and perseverance, and by giving thanks which is best established by obeying Allah and refl ecting on how these verses apply to our lives in the contemporary contexts. In regard to the subject on the story of Yemen, we fi nd that in these verses, much of its history is appreciated, from the perspectives of its tribes, cultivations, a itudes, challenges and the reasons for its sca erings to various parts of Arabia. It is from here that new communities fl ourished and were also given great blessings, which we will now explore in the stories of the tribes of Ād and amūd.26 e Tribes of Ād and amūd
Surah al Fajr (Chapter 89) Verses 6 9 [ ] Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with (the tribe o) Ād? 27 e term tara ‘see’ here means ‘know or understand,’ but since the story of these sects were so clear and known to all, it seems that the people of the later generations had also been able to see them with their own eyes, or at least the remnants of them. In this verse of course the addressee is Prophet Mu ammad primarily, but the warning is for everyone. e people of Ād with their Prophet Hūd , are as some historians believe, mentioned separately in two groups: 1. e fi rst group lived in very ancient times and they are called in the r’an, ad al ula, (the early generation of Ād) who probably used to
26 An Enlightening Commentary of the r’an, vol. 15, section 2 at h ps://www.al islam.org/enlightening commentary light holy quran vol 15/ section 2 destruction saba#surah saba verse 15 (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 27 r’an , Surah al Fajr (89), verse 6. 44 A Land Most Goodly
live in prehistory and; 2. A remnant from the former group, also known by the name Ād, existed during recorded history, which may be about 700 B.C.; and they lived in Ahqaf, Yemen at the southern end of the Red Sea. ese people were tall and strong in stature, and likewise they were considered excellent fi ghters. Moreover, they were very advanced in their material civilization, having lo y buildings in large cities with cultivated lands of verdant fi elds and luxuriant gardens. Some others say that Ād is the name of an ancestor of the people, and a tribe was usually called by the name of its ancestor. [ ] Of the (city o) Iram with lo y pillars. 28 Opinions are divided about the name ‘Iram’ as to whether it is the name of a person, a sect or a city. In his book al Kashshaf, Mahmud al Zamakhshari cites from some others that Ād was a son of Aus (Uz), the son of Iram (A’ram), the son of Sham (Shem), the son of Prophet Nū (Noah); and since the name of the ancestor of a tribe was used for the tribe, the Ād people were also called Iram. Others believe that Iram is the same as ‘ad al ula (the early generation of Ād) and that Ād is the second group of people. ere are others who believe that Iram is the name of a city or the land where they lived, corresponding with the following verse. It is most likely that Iram is the name of their matchless city as per the apparent meaning of verse 8. e term ‘imād means ‘pillar’ whose plural form is ‘umood . According to the fi rst commentary it points to a strong pillar like stature of the people of Ād; and taking the second commentary into consideration, it points to their great, lo y buildings with strong pillars both of which illustrate the strength and the power of the people of Ād, but the second commentary,
28 Ibid., verse 7. Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 45 i.e., the great lo y pillars of their buildings is more appropriate. at is why in the next verse, it says: [ ] e like of which was not created among (other) cities? 29 e interpretation here shows that the meaning of Iram is ‘a city’ and does not mean a sect or tribe, and this may be why some great commentators have accepted that this is the correct commentary, and we have preferred it too. Some of the commentators have told long stories about the recent excavated beautiful, supposed city of Iram in the deserts of Arabia, and the lands of Eden, speaking about its high, splendid buildings and its extraordinary jewellery. ere is no doubt however that the people of Ād were the strongest and the most advanced people of their time and their cities were admired by others. As the r’an says, there was not any city like that among the other cities. ere are many stories told about Shaddad, who was a son of Ād and Shaddad’s paradise. ese stories are told by people and wri en in books so abundantly and frequently that ‘his paradise’ and ‘the gardens of Iram’ are used proverbially in the language, but they are all myths developed over time which have some roots in reality. en the r’an refers to the second group of transgressors of ancient times and says: [ ] And the (people o) amūd hewed out the (huge) rocks in the valley.30 e amūd were among the most ancient of people, and whose messenger
29 Ibid., verse 8. 30 Ibid., verse 9. 46 A Land Most Goodly and warner was Prophet āli . ey lived in a land between Medina and Damascus named wadi al qurra and had an advanced civilized life with comfortable houses and lo y buildings. Some have said that amūd was the name of the father of a tribe, and so they took their name from him. It is probable that there was some relation between the tribes of Ād and amūd. e term jaabu is originally from jaubah which means ‘low land,’ so it is used with the sense of ‘to split, cleave, or cut out any piece of land.’ An answer is called jawaab because it cleaves the air when it comes out from the mouth of a speaker and reaches the ears of the listener, or because it carves out a question and puts an end to it. In any case, here it means cu ing the rocks of the mountains and making safe and sound houses as Sūrah al Hijr (15), verse 82 says about the people of amūd, “Out of the mountains did they hew (their) edifi ces, (considering themselves) secure.” Similar to this idea, it is also mentioned in Sūrah al Shu’ara (26), verse 149, “And you hew houses out of the mountains exultingly,” but here the word farihin ‘exultingly’, is an evidence to show that they lived with pleasure and were making merry in those houses. Some have said that the amūd were the fi rst people who carved the rocks and produced fi rm houses inside the mountains for them to live in. e term wād, which was originally wādi , means ‘river bed or fl ood route’ and sometimes it has been used with the meaning of ‘valley’ since the fl ood waters pass through valleys at the base of the mountains. Here the second meaning is more appropriate to explain the word, because it is understood about these people from the verses of the r’an and also from the above verse, that they used to build their houses in the mountain sides to make safer living quarters. A tradition from Prophet Mu ammad says that on his way to the Northern part of Arabia, while riding on horseback for the ba le of Tabuk, he reached the valley of amūd and ordered the others to make haste, because they were in a cursed land. Undoubtedly, the amūd had an advanced civilization with grandiose Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 47 cities in their time, but the descriptions wri en about them are exaggerated and mythical. For example, some commentators have wri en that they had 1,700 cities all made of stone.31 e Year of the Elephant
Sūrah al Fīl (Chapter 105) In e Name of Allah, e Benefi cent, e Merciful ] [ Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? (1) Did He not make their stratagem go awry? (2) And He sent upon them birds in fl ocks, (3) Pelting them with stones of petrifi ed clay, (4) us He made them like straw eaten up. (5) is chapter refers to the well known historical event that happened in the year of the birth of Prophet Mu ammad when Allah protected the Ka bah against the a ack of the army of pagans who riding on the backs of elephants, came from Yemen intending to destroy it. is sūrah is therefore a recollection and eternalization of the miraculous event which many people of Mecca had lived through and remembered, by its inclusion in revelation. It also worked as a means of confi rmation that the Arabs would receive verses of truth and pertinence to their lives.
31 An Enlightening Commentary of the r’an at h ps://www.al islam.org/ enlightening commentary light holy quran vol 20/presentation muslims#surah fajr verses 6 14 (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 48 A Land Most Goodly
e remembrance of this event was a warning against the proud and arrogant pagans to make them aware that they have no power to stand in the way of the power of Allah, Who destroyed that great army of elephants by li le, tiny birds which pelted them with ‘small stones of petrifi ed clay’ thus He could punish those stubborn oppressors as well. e pagans of Mecca’s equipment and power was no more than that of Abrahah, the Yemenī commander, nor did the number of their fi ghters even match his army. In other words, they had seen that event with their own eyes, and yet were wilfully arrogant toward Allah . e chapter came as a reminder that Allah will always protect His religion and cannot be defeated. Dhū Nuwās, the king of Yemen, persecuted the Christians of Najran who lived there in order to force them to leave their faith. e r’an has pointed out with the terms of ashab i ukhdud ‘the makers of the pit of Fire’ in Sūrah al Burūj (85), verses 4 10. A er that terrible massacre against the Christians mentioned in that chapter, a man by the name of Dus was able to escape and went to seek refuge with the Caesar of Rome, who was Christian, and described to him the event. Since there was a long distance between Rome and Yemen, Caesar wrote a le er to Najāshī, the king of Ethiopia, advising him to take revenge for the massacre and sent a le er by the man himself. Najāshī prepared an army of about 70,000 men and sent them to Yemen under the leadership of Irbat. Abrahah was also one of the commanders of that army. e army invaded Yemen and before long defeated Dhū Nuwās, and Irbat became the ruler of Yemen. But, a er a short time, Abrahah rose against him and killed him, and thus substituted Irbat. e news reached Najāshī who decided to punish Abrahah. Abrahah shaved the hair of his head and with some soil of Yemen sent to Najāshī as a sign of complete submission and loyalty. When Najāshī understood the situation, he forgave him and retained him in his position. en to show his good behaviour and gratifi cation, Abrahah built a great, beautiful, splendid church unsurpassed in the world at that time. Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 49
A er that he introduced it as the Ka bah to the people of Arabia, instead of the real Ka bah and decided to make it the centre for the Arab ajj pilgrimage and to transfer the great central place of gatherings of Mecca to that place. For this purpose, he sent many preachers to diff erent places among the Arab tribes in Arabia. But the Arabs who intensely loved Mecca and the Ka bah and knew it as the greatest sign of Prophet Ibrāhīm the Khalīl or ‘Friend of Allah , felt endangered. According to some narrations, a group of people secretly burned the church and according to other narrations some people desecrated it, and thus they showed their intense reaction against that vast invitation and discredited Abrahah’s church. Abrahah became very angry and decided to destroy the Ka bah totally both in order to take revenge, and to a ract the Arabs to the new temple. He set out to invade Mecca with an army which consisted of soldiers and elephants. Approaching the outskirts of Mecca, Abrahah’s men captured 200 camels belonging to Abdul Mu alib , the grandfather of Prophet Mu ammad . Abrahah sent a man to Mecca to fi nd the supreme chief of Mecca and tell him about his intentions to destroy the Holy Ka bah, and inform the authorities that if they did not stand against him he would not kill anyone. e man arrived in Mecca and looked for the chief of the city. Everyone showed Abdul Mu alib to him and he gave him the message. Abdul Mu alib said that they were not in a position to fi ght with them and the Ka bah would be protected by Allah Himself. e man told Abdul Mu alib that he should accompany him to see Abrahah. When Abdul Mu alib approached the military camp he was received respectfully, and Abrahah gave him an honourable seat near him and then he asked him about the purpose of his visit. Abdul Mu alib said that he had come to complain to Abrahah about the 200 camels that Abrahah’s men had taken away and to request him to return his animals to him. 50 A Land Most Goodly
Abrahah was taken aback when Abdul Mu alib spoke like that. e conversation between the two is reported as follows: “What? I have come to destroy your place of worship the Ka bah, and you, instead of pleading to save the Holy House, speak about your camels⁈ ” Abdul Mu alib replied: “ e camels belong to me, and I as the owner of the camels, have come for them. e Ka bah belongs to Allah and it is the concern of the Owner of the Ka bah to save it or to leave it to its fate in your hands.” is statement shook Abrahah and he ordered that the camels be returned to Abdul Mu alib . Abdul Mu alib returned to Mecca and advised the citizens to take refuge in the mountains around the city so as to be safe from being hurt by the invaders, and he himself, with a group of men went beside the Ka bah to pray to Allah and ask for help saying: “O Lord! I have no hope [to be protected from them], except from You. O Lord! Withdraw You therefore Your protection from them. O Lord! Verily he who is the enemy of this House is Your enemy. Verily, they have not defeated Your forces.” en Abdul Mu alib went to the valleys around Mecca with a group of the raysh and sent one of his sons over Abū bays mountain to see what was happening. He returned and said that he had seen a black cloud coming from the Red Sea. Abdul Mu alib became happy with that news and said: “O citizens of raysh! Return to your houses because Allah has sent you His help.” is was the scene on one side. On the other side, when Abrahah while riding on his elephant by the name of Mahmood intended to destroy the Ka bah entered the city, a huge fl ock of tiny birds like a cloud, appeared in the sky; each bird with three small stones as small as a pea, carrying one in its tiny beak and two in its claws. ey dropped them on the invading soldiers and they were killed at once. Abrahah tried to go forth on elephant back, but the animal did not move until it turned its head and moved swi ly towards Yemen, and there Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 51
Abrahah too died in San’a, the capital of Yemen.32 In these r’anic stories the People of Sheeba, the tribes of Ād and amūd, and the story of the Year of the Elephant, the land of Yemen has been mentioned. Given its inclusion in the r’an, its role in pre Islamic history, and the eff ect of it on the early Muslim community, there can be no doubt as to the importance and spiritual value of the land and people of Yemen. It is also instructive that Allah speaks about their people o en in negative ways, the people destroyed there who ignored Divine blessings. Yet in the coming chapter, reviewing the people of Yemen and their interaction with Prophet Mu ammad and his praise of them means that he le them while in a state of pleasure and appreciation of them. is means they learnt well from their own history and are an evidence of people who truly adopted the r’anic messages. In the forthcoming chapter, we will address the tribes that sent delegations to the Prophet and his sending emissaries to the people of Yemen. eir conversions took place on one day, and therea er produced some of the most important companions in the history of Islam. e raysh known for travel to Yemen
Surah al raysh, Verses 1 4 33 In e Name of Allah, e Benefi cent, e Merciful 32 An Enlightening Commentary of the r’an at h ps://www.al islam.org/ enlightening commentary light holy quran vol 20/Sūrah fi l chapter 105 (Last accessed on February 2, 2018). 33 An Enlightening Commentary of the r’an at h ps://www.al islam.org/ enlightening commentary light holy quran vol 20/surah raysh chapter 106 52 A Land Most Goodly
For stabilizing and unifying the raysh, (1) (We maintain for them) their trading caravans by winter and summer, (2) So let them worship the Lord of this House (Ka’bah), (3) Who fed them against hunger and secured them from fear. (4) In the previous chapter (al Fil) the story of the destruction of the possessors of the elephant and Abrahah’s army, who came to Mecca intending to destroy the Ka’bah was related. e fi rst verse of this chapter joins the last verse of the previous and is a supplement to it For stabilizing and unifying the raysh . e term ‘ ilaf’ is an infi nitive which means ‘uniting together’, and the term ‘ulfat’ means ‘a gathering with intimacy and union’. e purpose of using it is for the familiarity and union amongst the raysh who, together with all the citizens of Mecca, had se led there was due to the honour, importance and security of the holy Ka’bahh. If the army of Abrahah were successful in destroying the Ka’bahh, no other people would become familiar with the region. e next verse reads: (We maintain for them) their trading caravans by winter and summer. e purpose of the unifying the raysh may have been due to their love for their sacred land. e political and economical importance of the holy Ka’bah kept them secure from the invasions of the hostile tribes and helped them monopolize the trade of the area owing to the annual hajj pilgrimages. In the summer, they used to go to Syria which had moderate weather and in winter to Yemen where they enjoyed a warm climate, for the purposes of trade, and it was by Allah’s grace that they travelled safe and undisturbed on their journeys, otherwise, the routes were not safe and none could travel without being plundered and suff ering death and destruction or suff ering heavy losses. is was a manifest blessing upon Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 53 them. But, the same tribe, the raysh, whose protection, safety and honour was due to the Holy Ka’bah being in their city and they being its guardians, later became the prime enemies of Islam. e next verse states, So let them worship the Lord of this House (Ka’bah) and the chapter ends by the statement, Who fed them against hunger and secured them from fear . When the raysh had been granted such great blessings of security, trade and honour, they should have gratefully worshipped the Lord of the Ka’bah, who, inspite of their land being only a desert and thus unproductive, provided them with every kind of good and provision. is was an open admonition to the raysh who, at the start of the ministry of the Prophet , had been the most persistent of enemies. It was also a warning that Allah, the One who protected them from Abrahah, could just as easily destroy them or turn their state to hunger and fear. e Great Event of Mubahila 34 Two years a er Prophet Muhammad fi rst made offi cial contact with the Yemeni tribes, a momentous event known as Mubahila took place in the 10th Year of hijrah. So important was it to the history of Islam that Allah eternalised it in the r’an in Surah Al ‘Imran, verses 55 to 64. For the sake of brevity, only those verses specifi c to Yemen will be mentioned, elaborating on the event itself. e likeness of Jesus, with Allah, is as the likeness of Adam. He
34 An Enlightening Commentary of the r’an at h ps://www.al islam.org/ enlightening commentary light holy quran vol 3/section 4 christians were invited spiritual contest 54 A Land Most Goodly
created him from dust then He said to him’ BE! ‘ and he ‘was’. 35 A group of Christian’s entered Medina and went to meet the Prophet . ey stated that the birth of Jesus, without having a father, was a sign of, and an evidence for his divinity. en the verse was revealed and answered them such that if the fatherless creation is the evidence for Christ’s divinity or being the ‘Son’ of Allah, the creation of Adam is something more important than that because Adam had neither father nor mother. So, why then do you not consider Adam the Lord or Son of the Lord or greater than Jesus? ( is about Jesus is) the truth from your Lord, therefore be not you of the doubters. 36 e Arabic term mumtarin is derived from miryah which means ‘doubt’ or ‘suspicion’. It is an expression similar to the words in Surah al Baqarah (2), verse 147, which also speaks about people of the scriptures knowing the truth about the Prophet Muhammad , but allowing their whims to cause doubt in their true knowledge. And whoever dispute with you concerning him, a er what has come to you of knowledge, say: ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, and our selves and your selves, then let us invoke in earnest and lay the curse of Allah
35 r’an , Surah ‘Al Imran (3), verse 59. 36 Ibid., verse 60. Chapter 1: Ancient Yemen in the r’an 55
upon the liars. 37 e verse, owing to its containing the term nabtahel has come to be known in Islamic literature as the verse of mubahilah translated as ‘imprecation’ or ‘mutual curse’. e Arabic term mubahilah means to leave the personal tendencies and invoke God’s curse onto the one who is not truthful. In the tenth year, some Muslims were commissioned to go to Najran, a region in Yemen, to preach Islam. e Christian inhabitants of Najran set out a religious mission from their side to a end Medina and discuss with the Prophet . A er some debates and disputes between them and the Prophet , they felt hesitation and sought for pretexts. en, this verse was revealed inviting them to a malediction to see which of the two parties were truthful and which would be cursed by God. ey asked the Prophet of Islam for respite to contemplate and consult over the subject, eventually agreeing. On the day set for the imprecation, they saw that the Prophet approached the appointed spot followed by two boys, a young man and a lady. ose two boys were Imam’s Hasan and Husayn, the Prophet’s grandchildren, the young man was Imam Ali, and the lady was Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter. When the Chief Monk saw them, he exclaimed: “By God! I see the faces that, if they pray to God for mountains to move from their places, the mountains will immediately move.” He then stated: “If they curse you, you will be wiped out of existence to the last day of the life of the earth.” e Christians asked Muhammad to give up the idea of the agreed mubahilah and they announced they were ready for compromise. ey off ered to pay two thousand suits each of which cost, more or less, at forty dirhams every year. At this place, there has been built a mosque by the name of Masjid al Ijabah which is about two kilometers from the tomb of the Prophet in Masjid al Nabi. e event denotes a great victory for Islam and acted as an evidence of
37 Ibid., verse 61 56 A Land Most Goodly the religion and those who were selected to represent the religion by the Prophet Muhammad .
Chapter 2 e Conversion of Yemen to Islam
Introduction As observed above, Yemen has for millennia, been the site of prophetic missions and universal lessons. In keeping with the Arab tradition of poetry and storytelling, these remained as a pride and cultural bedrock of the tribes both among themselves and when they travelled or were visited. e generations immediately prior to the advent of Islam have a great history with regards to Yemen, such that much of the Hijāzan based Islam was built off of the movement of Yemenī tribes to Mecca and Medina. It is narrated that the people of Yemen were the fi rst to respond to the call of a ending ajj by Prophet Ibrāhīm a er he and Prophet Ismā īl built the holy Ka bah. e narration says that Prophet Ibrāhīm himself said, “O people, I am Ibrāhīm, Khalīlullah (the intimate friend of Allah). Verily Allah has commanded you to make the pilgrimage of ajj to this House, so make your ajj to it and those who perform the ajj respond to him until the Day of Judgement; and those who were the fi rst to respond 58 A Land Most Goodly were the people of Yemen.”38 is means that the awareness and popularity of Mecca as the hosts of the House of God, the holy Ka bah, was established through the Yemenī pilgrims. eir subsequent travels across Arabia and in welcoming visitors from the peninsula in turn developed Mecca into the thriving city that it became by virtue of their narrating the story of Prophet Ibrāhīm and encouraging pilgrimage to Mecca. Medina too, especially the Jewish heritage that it boasted, was a result of the migration of the Yemenī tribes. Banu Aws and Khazraj were originally of Yemenī descent, specifi cally Qahtani, 39 the descendants of Prophet Ismā īl .40 It was these two great tribes that invited Prophet Mu ammad to live in Medina and be the foundation of the Muslim Medinan society. It appears that these characteristics were particular to the Yemenī tribes and of benefi t to the prophetic mission, no ma er which land their ancestral tribes inhabited; the Prophet saw goodness in his mission to them. e people of Yemen were of such religious and welcoming nature that the Prophet himself stated that had he not migrated to Medina, he would have likely moved to Yemen instead to be the centrality of his movement of spreading the Oneness of Allah . It is narrated that he said, “Had it not been for the migration (to Medina), I would have been one from the people of Yemen!”41
38 Al ‘Amili, Wasā il al Shī a , Chapter on ajj, p. 8. e Arabic text is as follows: اﻳﻬﺎ اﻟﻨﺎس ا· اﺑﺮاﻫﻴﻢ ﺧﻠﻴﻞ اﻟﻠﻪ ان اﻟﻠﻪ اﻣﺮﻛﻢ ان ﺗﺤﺠﻮا ﻫﺬا اﻟﺒﻴﺖ ﻓﺤﺠﻮه ، ﻓﺎﺟﺎﺑﻪ ﻣﻦ ﻳﺤﺞ اﱃ ﻳﻮم اﻟﻘﻴﺎﻣﺔ ، و ﻛﺎن اول ﻣﻦ اﺟﺎﺑﻪ اﻫﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ 39 e Arabic text is as follows:
ﻗَ ْﺤﻄَ ِﺎ· / ﺑﻨﻮ ﻗﺤﻄﺎن 40 Al Yamānī, āli Ayyash, e Followers in Yemen, Ancient History, Its Present and Future, Dar al Ma ajjatu al Baydhaa’, Lebanon, 2011, p. 14. 41 Mustadrak Saīnat al Bi ār, vol. 1, p. 206; the Arabic text is as follows: ﻟﻮﻻ اﻟﻬﺠﺮة ﻟﻜﻨﺖ اﻣﺮءاً ﻣﻦ اﻫﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ ﻣﺴﺘﺪرك ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ اﻟﺒﺤﺎر ٠١ / ٢٠٦ Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 59
e warmth that the Prophet had for the people of Yemen was evident for all to see. Whether it was tribes from that region or of descent, or living in diff erent areas of Arabia, or whatever religion they were practising, the Prophet seemed to praise their heritage and eff orts. Ibn Abbās states that groups of visitors still following ancient prophets would visit the holy Prophet Mu ammad . He narrates that when people would come from Yemen, the Prophet would say, “Welcome to the group of Prophet Shu ayb and Rabbis of Prophet Mūsā!”42 Another time the Prophet was narrated to have welcomed a delegation saying, “A so hearted community, their hearts fi rmly established with their faith.” 43 is appreciation of Yemenī tribes encouraged visitations to the Prophet , and also his dispatch of delegations to them. In this chapter we will review the story of the conversion of Yemen to Islam. Arguably it is not only one of the most profound stories in the history of Islam, but it is undoubtedly one of the events that has most impacted the shaping of Islam until today. Despite this, many Muslims are vastly unaware of the conversion story of Yemen or the role that it played on the collective psyche of the Muslim community in the fi nal months of the life of Prophet Mu ammad . is is because upon its conversion at the hands of Alī ibn Abī ālib , it caused a number of companions who harboured enmity against him to use the conversion of Yemen to spread rumours about his SUPPOSED unethical behaviour. is is something we shall observe in the chapter and the way that it has shaped the reading of the event of Ghadīr Khumm when the Prophet announced his relationship to Alī ibn Abī ālib . Yemen’s many tribes were brought to Islam on one day and what followed was a great service to Islam and inclusion in its history. eir
42 Ibid., the Arabic text is as follows: ﻋﻦ اﺑﻦ ﻋﺒﺎس ﻋﻦ اﻟﻨﺒﻲ ص اﻧﻪ اذا دﺧﻞ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ اﻟﻨﺎس ﻣﻦ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ ﻗﺎل ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎً ﺑﺮﻫﻂ ﺷﻌﻴﺐ و أﺣﺒﺎر ﻣﻮﳻ 43 Al No mānī, Kitab Al Ghaybah, p. 39. e Arabic text is as follows: ﻗﻮم رﻗﻴﻘﺔ ﻗﻠﻮﺑﻬﻢ راﺳﺦ اﺎﻧﻬﻢ 60 A Land Most Goodly conversion revealed an unmatched appreciation of Yemen from the Prophet who said, “ e best of men are the people of Yemen. Faith is Yemenī and I am Yemenī. Many of the tribes who will enter paradise on the Day of Judgement will be the Mad’hijī and Hadhra Mawtī tribes (two of the tribes from Yemen).”44 is chapter will also review what transpired in Yemen a er its conversion looking at its governance, the great companions that it produced, and some of their achievements and contributions to Islam. It will also look at how some of the tribes continued to interact with Alī ibn Abī ālib during his caliphate. erefore, this chapter is the main theme of this book and should elicit the most a ention from the reader as to the role of Yemen in early Islamic history. It will become clear to the respected reader that when we combine the pre Islamic role of Yemen in Islam, the love the Prophet had for Yemen, and the regions’ contribution to Islam, that when we see such tragedy unfolding in Yemen today, our duty to serve the humanitarian needs of the Yemenī people become all the more necessary and cruicial
Imam Alī’s description of Arabia before Islam At that time people had fallen into vices whereby the rope of religion had been broken, the pillars of belief had been shaken, principles had been sacrilege, the system had become topsy turvy, openings were narrow, passage was dark, guidance was unknown, and darkness prevailed. Allah was being disobeyed, Satan was given support, and belief had been forsaken. As a result, the pillars of religion fell down, its traces could not be discerned, its passages had been destroyed and its streets had fallen into decay. People obeyed Satan and treaded his paths. ey sought water from his
44 e Arabic text, as found in Majma al Zawā’id, vol. 1, p. 55, is as follows: إن ﺧª اﻟﺮﺟﺎل اﻫﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ و اﻹﺎن ﺎ· و اﻧﺎ ﺎ· و اﻛ¥ ﻗﺒﺎﺋﻞ دﺧﻮل اﻟﺠﻨﺔ ﻳﻮم اﻟﻘﻴﺎﻣﺔ ﻣﺬﺣﺞ و ﺣﴬﻣﻮت _ ﻣﺠﻤﻊ اﻟﺰواﺋﺪ ج ١٠ ص ٥٥ Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 61
watering places. rough them Satan’s emblems got fl ying and his standard was raised in vices which trampled the people under their hoofs, and treaded upon them with their feet. e vices stood on their toes (in full stature) and the people immersed in them were strayed, perplexed, ignorant and seduced, as though in a good house with bad neighbours. Instead of sleep they had wakefulness, and instead of antimony they had tears in their eyes. ey were in a land where the learned were in bridle (keeping their mouths shut), while the ignorant were honoured.”45
e story of Tubba’ the King of Arabia Hundreds of years prior to the advent of Prophet Mu ammad there lived a man by the name of Tubba’ who was a great leader or de facto ruler across much of Arabia, including Yemen. Earlier it was mentioned that the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, who invited and welcomed the Prophet to Medina and would be known as the Ansaar, or the great helpers of Islam, were of Yemenī descent. In this section we will investigate this further by understanding why they migrated from Yemen. Initially Tubba’ had sought to destroy the Ka bah. It was upon his approach that he learned from a Rabbinic scholar that Mecca was the place of the coming of Prophet Mu ammad , and his mission to migrate to the city of Medina and establish Islam. We will see that the prophecy of the coming of the Prophet inspired Tubba’ so greatly, that he commissioned the Aws and Khazraj to move to Medina and await the Prophet so that this would be his contribution to Islam. It has been narrated from Ibn al Wal īd from al Saff ar from Ibn ‘Eisa from al asan son of Alī from Amr ibn Ab ān with the chain going up to Tubba’, that he said the following poem during his travels:
45 Al Radhi, Sharif, Nahj al Balaghah, sermon 2; h ps://www.al islam.org/ nahjul balagha part 1 sermons/sermon 2 i praise allah seeking completion his blessing (Last accessed on February 15, 2018). 62 A Land Most Goodly
Until came to me from raydha a Rabbinic scholar; (I said) I swear by your existence in the Jewish community, certainly he is assisted (by Allah). He said (to me): Go away, be gone from the forbidden city which belongs to the Prophet of Mecca from the tribe of raysh, the guided one; I forgave him without scolding him; I le him to be punished on the Day that is Eternal. I le my right to punish him leaving it to God on the Day of Judgement, when the fi re shall be stoked; I le for the Prophet from my people a few high standing, noble elites, those who are praised. A people, their victory will be in their descent, hoping I may gain the rewards of the Lord of Mu ammad; I did not expect there was a pure House of the Lord, present in Mecca that God is worshiped in. ey said: In Mecca you would fi nd a House of wealth that is in ruin, the treasures inside are from pearls and aquamarine; I came on a mission, but the Lord stopped me from accomplishing it. Certainly Allah is the One who pushes away people from ruining the Grand Mosque. So I le what I hoped to accomplish as an example to the people that will see. Imam Ja far al ādiq said, “ e report would come out of this Mecca, a prophet, who would migrate to Yathrib (Medina) so he (Tubba) chose people from Yemen to reside with the Jews so they may be ble to aid the Prophet when he came.” Tubba (continues in his poetry): I testify that Ahmad is the Prophet of Allah, the Creator of souls, Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 63
So if my life was extended to see the Prophet, I would be a minister to him and a cousin (support him). And I would be a torment to the polytheists, feeding them a cup of death and sorrow. Imam Ja far al ādiq stated, “Tubba said to Aws and Khazraj, ‘Stay here until this Prophet comes. As for me, if I would have lived until his time, I would have served him and went on the mission with him.’” 46
A delegation from Yemen visits Prophet Mu ammad Al Waqidi states that a delegation from Yemen consisting of 13 men came to visit Prophet Mu ammad in the 9 th year a er the migration ( hijrah). e Prophet honoured and welcomed them with gi s greater than he would normally bestow upon other delegations. A youth was among them, and the Messenger of Allah asked him what gi he would like. He replied, “O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to forgive me, to have mercy upon me, and to place my wealth in my heart.” e Messenger of Allah responded, “O Allah, forgive him, have mercy upon him, and place his wealth in his heart.” A er that he became one of the most pious and ascetic man.47
e group from Hadhr Mawt visit Prophet Mu ammad It has been narrated by Ibn Abbās that, “People from Hadhr Mawt including the tribes of Waliat Hamza, Muharrish, Mashrah and Absa’ah, and a sister tribe among them visited the Prophet. Among them was al As’ab ibn Qays, who was the youngest among. ey said to him , “It is not possible to curse you, but the curse will not reach you?” e Prophet replied, “I am not a king. I am Mu ammad, the son of Abdullāh!”
46 Al Majlisi, Bi ār al Anwār, vol. 15, pp. 104 105. 47 Tarīkh ibn Kathir, vol. 4. p. 127. 64 A Land Most Goodly
ey responded, “Did you give yourself this name?” He replied, “No Allah gave me this name; and I am Abūl Qāsim.” Wanting to test his Prophethood they said, “O Abūl Qāsim, we have hidden from you something, what is it?” Ibn Abbās says that they had hidden a locust in a po ery of ghee. e Prophet responded, “Glory be to Allah, this is something you do to a soothsayer; and the whole system of soothsaying and the soothsayer is destined for hell!” So the group asked, “O Prophet! How do we know that you are the Prophet?” So the Prophet took a handful of rocks and said this will a est Prophethood to me. e rocks began to praise him while in his hand saying, ‘We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah.’ e Prophet continued, “Allah sent me with the truth and revealed upon me a book which falsehood cannot come near, from in front nor behind. It is a revelation from the Wise and Worthy of all Praise. It is weightier in scale than a huge mountain and in the darkest night it has the light of a shooting star.” e delegation asked, “Let us hear it!” So the Prophet read the following verses: (I swear) by those [angels] lined up in rows. And those who drive the clouds. And those who recite the Remembrance ( r’an). Indeed your God is One. Lord of the heavens and the earth and that which is between them and the Lord of the sunrises. 48 e Prophet then paused. He changed from an agitated state to a state of calm and did not move at all. en he began to cry such that tears fell pon his beard. e group asked, “We see you crying; are you afraid of the one who sent you?” He replied, “It is not fear, it is sincerity and awe that made me cry. He
48 r’an , Sūrah al Sā āt (37), Verses 1 5. Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 65 has sent me on the Right Path like the tip of a blade; if I was to stray, I would be doomed.” en he read: And if We willed, We could surely do away with that which We revealed to you. en you would not fi nd for yourself concerning it an advocate against Us. 49
e deputation of Imam Alī by Prophet Mu ammad to the people of Yemen e historian and scholar of adīth, Sheikh Al Muīd states, “It is agreed upon by all of the historians (biographers of Prophet Mu ammad known as Ahl al Sīrah ) that the Prophet sent Khā lid b. Walī d to the people of Yemen to call them to Islam. With him, he sent a group of Muslims, among whom was al Barā ’ b. Ā zib, may Allā h have mercy on him. Khā lid stayed with the people for six months calling them (to Islam), but not one of them responded. at aggrieved the Apostle of Allā h .50 is was in the 8 th year a er hijrah. He summoned the Commander of the Faithful ( Alī ibn Abī ālib) and ordered him to bring back Khā lid and those who were with him. However, he told him that if anyone of those who had been with Khālid wanted to stay, then he should let him. Al Barā ’ ibn Ā zib reported, “ e Prophet sent Khālid ibn Walīd to Yemen in order to invite them people to the faith. I was one of the people sent with him. He stayed there for six months, but no one paid any heed to him.”51 Mu i Ja far Husayn says, “When the Yemenīs learned that Khālid ibn Walīd was going and Alī was replacing him, they were keenly interested
49 r’an , Sūrah al Isrā’ (17), verse 86 50 is report is the same as reported by al abari in his Tarīkh , vol. 2, pp. 289 and 390. 51 Tārīkh al Tabari , vol. 2, p. 289. 66 A Land Most Goodly and gathered at one place. A er the morning prayers Alī went to them and read the le er that the Prophet had sent for the people of Yemen. en he delivered a sermon on the virtues of Islam. e talk was so eff ective that the people, who did not respond even a er six months of Kh ālid’s eff orts, all embraced Islam.” 52 Al Barā’ b. Ā zib continues, “I was one of those who followed him. When we came to the fi rst people among the Yemenis and the news reached the people (generally), they gathered before him. Alī ibn Abī ālib prayed the dawn prayer with us, then he advanced in front of us. He praised and glorifi ed Allā h. en he read the le er of the Apostle of Allā h. e whole of Hamdā n became Muslim in one day. e Commander of the Faithful wrote about that to the Apostle of Allā h . When he read his le er, he was pleased and delighted. He prostrated in thanks to Allā h, the Exalted. He raised his head and sat. He said: “Greetings to Hamdān. A er the submission to Islam of Hamdān, (the rest o) the people of Yemen will follow (them) into Islam.” Al Muīd continues, “ is is an achievement of the Commander of the Faithful which none of the other companions had done anything like or similar to. He ( Alī) was (an important element) in the building of the religion, and the strength of the faith in (explaining) the message of the Prophet .” 53
e judgements of Alī ibn Abī ālib in Yemen Mu i Ja far Husayn writes, “Although the people of Yemen had embraced Islam with one sermon of Imam Alī , they were still not fully conversant with the tenets of the faith. erefore it was necessary to give them instructions on the legitimate and the prohibited from the Islamic viewpoint. ey were also to be told about the mandatory, the optional and the other pillars of Islam. ey needed to get their disputes se led
52 Biography of Imam Alī ibn Abī ālib, pp. 284 287. 53 Kitāb al Irshād, pp. 38 40. Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 67 according to the laws of the faith. For taking care of all of these things, the Prophet deputed Al ī again to go to Yemen.”54 Al Muīd continues, “Among those reports which have been handed down about his [Imam Alī’s ] legal decisions while the Prophet was still alive and present, is the following: When the Apostle of Allāh wanted to invest him with the offi ce of judge in Yemen and to send him to them so that he might teach them the laws, explain to them what was permi ed and forbidden, and judge for them according to the laws of the r’ā n, the Commander of the Faithful asked him: ‘O Apostle of Allā h, you are inviting me to (undertake) the offi ce of judge while I am still a young man without knowledge of all (the ma ers o) judgement?’ ‘Come near to me,’ the Prophet told him. He went nearer and he struck him in the chest with his hand and said: ‘O Allā h, guide his heart and strengthen his tongue.’ e Commander of the Faithful reported: ‘I never doubted in my ability to judge between two men a er that occurrence.’ In another narration it is mentioned that Imam Alī said: “When the Prophet dispatched me to Yemen, he said, ‘Whenever you are faced with a case to judge, do not make a ruling before you hear what the other side has to say in one’s own defence.’ From then on, I never had any doubts about my judgements.” 55 When the administrative house (dā r) in Yemen was occupied by him and he began to take care of the offi ce of judging and giving decisions among the Muslims, which the Apostle of Allā h had entrusted to him, two men were brought before him. Between them was a maidservant who both of them had equal rights of possession over as a slave. ey had both been ignorant about the prohibition of having intercourse with her, and
54 Biography of Imam Alī ibn Abī ālib, pp. 284 287. 55 adūq, Shaykh al , Uyūn al Akhbār al Ri hā, vol. 2, p. 106. 68 A Land Most Goodly had intercourse with her in the same month of her menstrual cycle. ( ey had done this) in the belief that this was permissible, because of their recent acceptance of Islam and their lack of knowledge about the laws which were in the law of Islam (sharī a ). e maidservant had become pregnant and given birth to a boy; and they both were in dispute as to (who was the father). He drew lots with their names on it for the boy. e lot fell upon one of them. He assigned the boy to him, but required him to pay half of his value as if he had been a slave of his partner. He said, “If I knew that you had both embarked on what you have done a er the proof had been given to you of it being prohibited, I would have exerted (every eff ort) to punish you both.” e Apostle of Allā h learned about this case. He accepted it and acknowledged the judgement on them within Islam. He said: “Praise be to Allā h Who has created among us, the family ( Ahlul Bayt), one who can judge according to the practice and method of Dāwūd in judging.” In that he was referring to judgement according to inspiration (ilhām ) which would have been taken in the sense of revelation (wa y ) and the sending down of a text for it if there had been any explanation of such (an occurrence ever having taken place). Among the cases brought before Imam Alī while he was in Yemen, is the report of (the case in which) a pit was dug for a lion. It fell into it and the people gathered around to look at it. One man was standing on the edge of the pit. His foot slipped and he hung on to another man. at man hung on to a third, and the third to a fourth. ey all fell into the pit and were all killed. Imam Alī gave the judgement that the fi rst was the prey of the lion and he (and his family) were responsible for the payment of a third of the blood price for the second. Similarly the second (and his family) were responsible for the payment of a third of the blood price for the third, and the third (and his family) were responsible for the payment of a third of the blood price for the fourth. e report of that reached the Apostle of Allā h , who said, “Abū al Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 69
asan has given judgement in their regard with the judgement of Allā h, the Mighty and High above (on) His throne.” en there was brought before him (the case in which) it is reported that a girl was carrying (another) girl on her shoulder in a game. Another girl came along and pinched the girl who was carrying (the other one). She jumped because of being pinched. e girl who was being carried fell and broke her neck and died. Imam Alī judged that the girl who did the pinching was responsible for a third of the blood price, the girl who jumped was responsible for (another) third of it, and the remaining third was inoperative because the riding of the girl who broke her neck, on the girl who jumped was in fun. e report of that reached the Apostle of Allā h and he accepted it and testifi ed to the correctness of it. Imam Alī gave judgement on (a case where) a wall had fallen on some people and killed them. Among them was a slave woman and a free woman. e free woman had a small child, born of a free man; and the slave woman had a small child, born of a slave. e free child could not be distinguished from the slave child. Imam Alī drew lots between them and he adjudged freedom as belonging to the one of them for whom the lot for freedom was drawn, and he adjudged slavery for the one for whom the lot for slavery was drawn. en he freed (the slave child) and made him a retainer (of the free child). In this way he also decided about their inheritance with the decision going in accordance with (the norm for) the free one and his retainer. e Apostle of Allā h accepted his judgement in this decision and declared its correctness through his acceptance of it, as we have mentioned and described.56
e conversion of Yemen as praised in the r’an In the r’an in Sūrah an Nasr (110), verses 1 3, we read the following:
56 Muīd, Shaykh al , Kitāb al Irshād, pp. 135 137. 70 A Land Most Goodly
In e Name of Allah, the Benefi cent, the Merciful ] [ ۚ When there comes the help of Allah and the victory; (1) And you see people entering Allah’s religion in multitudes; (2) en celebrate the praise of your Lord, and seek His forgiveness, (for) surely He is O returning (to mercy). (3) In this chapter, the words are fi rst about the help of Allah, then the victory, then the infl uence and spread of Islam, and fi nally the entering of people in groups, into the religion of Allah. All of them are causes and eff ects of one another. Victory is absent unless there is the help from Allah, and people do not enter Islam in multitudes unless there is triumph and victory in order to remove the barriers and hindrances from the way. Of course, along with these stages, each of which is a great Divine blessing, the stage of being thankful and praising Allah comes forth. On the other hand, the help of Allah, and the victory are all for the fi nal goal, i.e., people entering Allah’s religion in multitudes, and guidance for everyone. 57 Regarding the second verse and those entering into Islam in great numbers it is said in the books on the commentary of the r’an, “What is meant by ‘people’ here is specifi cally the people of Yemen. When the verse was revealed, the Prophet said, ‘Glory be to Allah! e help of Allah has come and the victory, and the people of Yemen have come. ( ey
57 An Enlightening Commentary of the r’an at h ps://www.al islam.org/ enlightening commentary light holy quran vol 20/Sūrah nasr chapter 110 (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). Chapter 2: e Conversion of Yemen to Islam 71 are) a people of gentle hearts. Faith is Yemenī (meaning faith belongs to the people of Yemen). Understanding is Yemenī (meaning knowledge belongs to the people of Yemen); and wisdom is Yemenī (meaning wisdom is Yemenī in its nature).” He then said, “I see the relief of your Lord coming from the direction of Yemen.”58
Alī ibn Abī ālib’s entrance to ajj and the Prophet narrating a miracle to him Imam Ja far al ādiq said, “When the Prophet made the farewell ajj, he stopped in al Abtah. He was given a cushion and sat upon it. He then raised his hands to sky and started crying profusely and said, ‘O Lord, you have promised me in regards to my father, my mother and my uncle that you will not punish them.’ So God revealed upon him, ‘I have made it upon Myself that no one shall enter My heaven except one who has testifi ed that there is no god but Allah, and that you are My slave and My Messenger. Go to the cavern and call them and if they answer you, then My mercy has been granted to them.’ So the Prophet stood up and went to the cavern and called them: ‘O father, O mother and O uncle!’ ey rose up from their graves and wiped off the dirt from their heads. e Prophet said to them, ‘Do you not see this honour that Allah has bestowed upon me?’ ey replied, ‘We a est that there is no god but Allah and truly you are His Messenger absolutely. Everything that you have conveyed from God is the truth.’ e Prophet said, ‘Go back to your resting places.’ e Prophet later entered Mecca for the pilgrimage. Alī ibn Abī ālib came from Yemen and the Prophet asked him, ‘Do you not want me to give glad tidings?’ He replied, ‘May my father and mother be sacrifi ced for you, you have been from the start a bearer of glad tidings!’
58 Tafsīr Jawām al Jāmi , vol. 3, p. 866; the Arabic text is as follows:
اراد ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺎس اﻫﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ، و ﳌﺎ ﻧﺰﻟﺖ ﻗﺎل : اﻟﻠﻪ اﻛﱪ، ﺟﺎء ﻧﴫ اﻟﻠﻪ و اﻟﻔﺘﺢ و ﺟﺎء اﻫﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ، ﻗﻮم رﻗﻴﻘﺔ ﻗﻠﻮﺑﻬﻢ، اﻻﺎن ﺎن، و اﻟﻔﻘﻪ ﺎن و اﻟﺤﻜﻤﺔ ﺎﻧﻴﻪ، و ﻗﺎل : اﺟﺪ ﻧﻔﺲ رﺑﻜﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ 72 A Land Most Goodly
e Prophet asked, ‘Do you not see what Allah, blessed and high is He, has given to us in this journey of ours?’ So the Prophet narrated the event to Imam Alī to which he responded, ‘All praise belongs to Allah!’” Imam al ādiq concluded saying, “ e Prophet made his parents and uncle partners in the sacrifi cing of the animals at ajj (sharing the reward with them).”59
59 Bi ār al Anwār , vol. 15, pp. 63 64. Chapter 3 Yemen A er its Conversion to Islam
Governance of Yemen Jābir ibn Abdullāh al An ārī reports that a companion named Mu adh ibn Jabal was among the most generous of companions. In his eagerness to assist the Prophet he built up a large debt. When his creditors started pushing him to pay, he hid away from them in his house for several days. e creditors eventually sought the Prophet’s intervention so he sent for both parties. e creditors pleaded, “O Messenger of Allah, please claim our dues from him.” e Prophet responded to them, “Allah will shower His mercy on the person who is charitable towards him who writes off Mu adh’s debt.” Consequently some of the creditors wrote off the debt, whil others refused insisting the Prophet claim their rights from him. e Prophet then turned to Mu adh and said, “O Mu adh, be patient and se le your remaining debts with them (even if you have to lose all of your wealth). e Prophet then took away all of Mu adh’s wealth and handed it over to the creditors. A er its distribution, it still only reached fi ve sevenths of what Mu adh owed. e creditors turned again to the 74 A Land Most Goodly
Prophet demanding that he sell Mu adh as a slave to them. e Prophet refused and said, “Leave him alone now! You cannot lodge any further claim now.” Having nothing le , Mu adh then went to live with Banu Salama. Someone there said to him, “O Abū Abd al Ra mān, why do you not ask the Prophet for something now that you have become so poor?” Mu adh refused to ask, staying there for a few more days until the Prophet called for him. When the Prophet called him, he dispatched him to Yemen to act as a governor and told him, “Perhaps Allah will redeem you for your losses.” Mu adh remained there as a governor until the Prophet died. 60 Jābir also reports from Mu adh that he said, “ e Messenger of Allah se led my debts with my creditors using what wealth I had and then he appointed me as a governor.”61 Ibn Abbās narrates, “ e Prophet sent Mu adh to Yemen and said, ‘Invite the people to testify that no one has the right to be worshipped except Allah and I am Allah’s apostle, and if they obey you, then teach them that Allah has enjoined on them fi ve daily prayers; and if they obey you, then teach them that Allah has made it obligatory for them to pay the alms tax from their property and that it has to be taken from the wealthy among them and given to the poor.”62
60 Nishaburi, Hakim al , Mustadrak, vol. 3, pp. 123 and 272. 61 Sunan Ibn Majah, e Chapter on Rulings and Laws, adīth no. 2357. 62 a ī Bukhārī, vol. 2, book 23, adīth no. 478 (see also book 24, adīth no. 537 and 573 for similar narrations). Chapter 4 Leading Personalities from Yemen
Having converted what is the equivalent of an entire country and the various tribes within it, the new Muslims were now eager to join Prophet Mu ammad in Medina and Mecca for the pilgrimage. Others had travelled to Medina even before the conversion of Yemen upon hearing bout the Prophet and his message. In this section we will list and briefl y describe some of the leading companions and followers, the second generation of Muslims, known as the ābī īn, who came from Yemen as a way of demonstrating the importance of this region to the history and development of Islam. is is because without these great companions and their eff orts, Islam would not have had some of its champions, scholars and saintly fi gures who have le their intellectual and spiritual fragrance on this religion. 1. Al Miqdād ibn Aswad al Kindī Miqdād belonged to an Arabian tribe named Bahra originally from Hadramout, Yemen. Among the things that he is most famous for is when the Muslims 76 A Land Most Goodly were consulted as to whether they were ready to partake in the fi rst ba le against the pagan Meccan’s, many were hesitant until al Miqdād stood up and said enthusiastically, “O Allah’s Apostle, go on and obey Allah’s Order! We will support you! By Allah, we will not say like the Jews said to their prophet: ‘You and your Lord, go and fi ght! We will stay here!’ We say: you have come to us with the truth, and we obey and follow you. We will show that you we are real men. We will not back off .” is changed the mood of the entire army it was the beginning to their fi rst victory. Imam Ja far ibn Mu ammad al ādiq said Miqdād was one of the seven people who most upheld the verse, “I do not ask for anything from you as reward except love of my kindred.”63 2. Ammār ibn Yāsir ough Ammār belonged to the Banu Makhzum tribe in Hijāz, his father, Yāsir ibn Amir, was from the tribe of Qahtan in Yemen who migrated to Mecca, and married Sumayyah bint Khayyat, known famously as the fi rst and second martyrs in the history of Islam. Ammār was also severely tortured, but escaped a er feigning disavowal of the Prophet , but when he confessed it was only to further avent torment, and the Prophet approved of this action in order to save his life. In addition to Yāsir and Sumayyah being promised paradise, the Prophet also famously said about Ammār’s torture, “Bear patiently, Aba al Yaqdhan ( Ammār). O Allah, do not punish anyone from the family of Ammār with fi re!” 3. Hudhayfa ibn al Yamānī Hudhayfa son of al Yamānī is one of the famous companions, especially for his role in certain ba les with Prophet Mu ammad . In the ba le of Uhud, the Prophet placed al Yamānī, Hudhayfa’s father with abit ibn Waqsh as they were both elderly and non combatants,
63 r’an , Surah al Shuara (4), verse 23 Chapter 4: Leading Personalities from Yemen 77 however both eager to participate in the ba le. Al Yamānī, not known to the Muslims was mistaken for one of the enemies and was a acked and killed in error. Hudhayfa told his father’s killers: “May God forgive you for He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy.” Hudhayfa was also known for his intelligence, wit and ability to maintain secrets such that the Prophet would tell him who the hypocrites among the Muslims were and he was employed to keep watch of their movements and plots. is played a vital role in the formative years of the Islamic community. He also has a lengthy and interesting relationship with Imam Alī . Hudhayfa was the governor of al Madā in during the time of the Caliph Uthmān. When Uthmān was killed and Imam Alī took over the caliphate, he permi ed Hudhayfa to continue being the governor there. He wrote to him the following, In the Name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate. From the slave of Allah, Alī, the Commander of the Faithful, to Hudhayfa ibn al Yaman peace be upon you. I have confi rmed you in your post, just as you was serving my predecessor, in al Madā in. It is your responsibility to collect the zakāt, kharaj, and jizyah from the Ahl al Dhimmah. So choose your trustful ones and those whom you are pleased with their religion and who you trust. Use them over your employees. is is be er for you and your master ( Alī), and it is loathsome to your enemy. I order you to have consciousness ( taqwā) of Allah and His obedience in the hidden and the manifest. I warn you against His punishment in every state. I advise you to be good to the good doers and to be tough to the obstinate. I order you to be kind and so in all of your ma ers and be just to all of your people, for you are responsible of that. Give the people who are treated unjustly back their rights. Forgive the people and have good dealings with them for Allah awards the good doers. I order you to collect fairly 78 A Land Most Goodly
and righteously the kharaj from the land. Do not transgress my previous instructions, and do not neglect any one of them. Do not follow your own self. Divide this kharaj between the people equally and justly and be modest and available to your people. Treat them fairly in your meeting with them. Let the ones who are close to you and those who are not close to you be the same to you when dispensing justice and rights. Decide between the people with truth and justice and be equitable. Do not follow your own desires, and do not fear the blame of anyone, for Allah is with those who have God consciousness and those who are good doers. Accompanying this le er is another paper from me. It is to be read to your people so that they can be informed of my policy regarding them and all of the Muslims. So gather them and read it to them and take their bay’ah (allegiance) from the youngest to the oldest of them, God Willing.” Hudhayfa addressed his people and engaged in dialogue with them about leadership and the precedents of Prophet Mu ammad , the full text of which can be read online.64 4. Owais al Qaranī al Murādī Owais was distinguished with the honour of being a companion, despite having ever met Prophet Mu ammad , which is usually considered to be the foremost requirement. Although he had been a Muslim and lived in Yemen, his situation was that he was preoccupied with taking care of his mother. Only permi ed to visit Medina for a short time and required to return quickly, he arrived when the Prophet was away on an expedition. e Prophet died before Owais came back to Medina years later.
64 h ps://www.al islam.org/articles/narration hadeeth hudhayfah ibn alyaman hasan ibn Mu ammad al daylami (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). Chapter 4: Leading Personalities from Yemen 79
Prophet Mu ammad is narrated to have said about his rank in the eyes of God that, “If he was to swear in the name of Allah that something should happen, Allah would cause it to happen. If you can ask him to pray for forgiveness for you then do so.” 5. Mālik al Ashtar al Nakha’ī Mālik was a Madh’hij, a sub division of the Bani Nakha tribe from Yemen. It is narrated about them from the Prophet who said, “ ose who enter paradise will fi nd many of its inhabitants from the people of Yemen; and indeed many of the tribes present in paradise will be of the Madh’hij.”65 He was known for extraordinary bravery on the ba lefi eld and his extreme loyalty to Imam Alī ibn Abī ālib such that it was said, Mālik is to Alī what Alī was to the Prophet . is is because when Imam Alī dispatched Mālik to be the governor of Egypt, having praised him greatly, Imam Alī called him his brother, just like the Prophet called Imam Alī his brother. Mālik is most known for the famous and celebrated le er which he was sent by Imam Alī instructing him on good governance, 66 and he later died as a martyr by being poisioned. 6. Hujr ibn Aday al Kindī Hujr ibn Aday, a companion of the holy Prophet , was known as Hujr al Khayr (the Good). is was because he was the opposite in character to his cousin Hujr ibn Yazīd, who was entitled Hujr al Sharr (the Evil). Known for his bravery, he was among the commanders of Imam Alī’s army in the Ba les of Jamal and Siffi n. A er the Ba le of Siffi n he a empted to stop the cursing of Alī ibn Abī ālib and for this was arrested and executed alongside his family
65 Tārīkh Baghdād, vol. 8, p. 225; the Arabic text is as follows: دﺧﻠﺖ اﻟﺠﻨﺔ ﻓﻮﺟﺪت اﻛ¥ اﻫﻠﻬﺎ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ و وﺟﺪت اﻛ¥ اﻫﻞ اﻟﻴﻤﻦ ﻣﺬﺣﺞ 66 h ps://www.al islam.org/nahjul balagha part 2 le ers and sayings/le er 53 order malik al ashtar (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 80 A Land Most Goodly and companions. Umm al Mo’mineen Ayesha narrates that she said to Mu āwiya: “You killed Hujr and his associates, By Allah! e Prophet told me ‘In the ditch of Adra seven men will be killed, due to this all the skies and Allah will be angered.’”67 On the 2nd of May 2013, militia which was linked to ISIS (the so called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) exhumed Hujr’s body from Adra, a suburb in Damascus, and took it to an unknown location. 7. Kumayl ibn Ziyād al Nakha ī Kumayl was born in Yemen two years before the Prophet’s migration to Medina. His tribe, Banu Nakha like that of Mālik al Ashtar, also produced great helpers to Islam such as Hilal ibn Nafi ’ and Sawadah ibn Āmir. Kumayl however, did not get to meet the holy Prophet but he was a close aid and confi dent of Alī ibn Abī ālib becoming his governor in the Iraqi city of Heet, situated in modern day al Anbar Province. Kumayl is known in history for the number of questions that he would ask Imam Alī . Among their famous dialogues is: O Kumayl, knowledge is be er than wealth for knowledge guards you, while you have to guard wealth; and wealth is diminished when spent, while knowledge grows and increases when put to use. O Kumayl, the hoarders of wealth have died, while the learned men exist forever; their bodies have disappeared, but their teachings and wisdom are ingrained in the hearts. 8. Adiy ibn ātim al Tā ī Adiy’s father ātim was well known for being one of the most generous people in all of Arabia in the pre Islamic era. A er him, Adiy became the head of his tribe, Tā ī. His conversion came when the Prophet sent Imam Alī to carry out a raid at al Fals. As the army approach there, Adiy sent his family to Syria, however his sister was le behind and captured. Adiy petitioned her
67 Tārīkh Ibn Asākir, vol. 12, p. 227, Chapter entitled Dhikr Hujr ibn Adi. Chapter 4: Leading Personalities from Yemen 81 release to which the Prophet accepted it. A er the Prophet released her, he invited Adiy to sit and discuss Islam. At the end of their discussion he converted, either in the 9th or 10th year a er the migration. Adiy was later present at the Ba les of the Ridda wars Madā’in, Jamal, i īn and Nahrawān. It is said that he lived to be 120 years old and narrated many a adīth. 9. Al ārith al Hamdānī Al ārith came from the tribe of Hamdān, the same about which Alī ibn Abī ālib was narrated to have said that: “If I was the keeper of the Gate of Heaven, I would have asked the Tribe of Hamdān to enter peacefully.” He was one of the great, knowledgable and pious tābi īn (the generation which came a er the a āba ). In addition to Islamic sciences, he also taught accounting and mathematics, and was a well known reciter of the holy r’an. Being amongst the closest companions of Imam Alī , al ārith was given a special testimony and instruction. One of the most important recorded interactions between al ārith and Imam Alī was when al ārith was old and in poor health, and Imam Alī advised him before his death, inwhich the Imam told al ārith the following: Adhere to the rope of the r’an and seek instructions from it. Regard its lawful as lawful and its unlawful as unlawful. Testify the right that has been in the past. Take lessons for the present condition of this world from the past (condition), because its one phase resembles the other, its end is to meet its beginning, and the whole of it is to change and depart. Regard the name of Allah as too great to mention Him, save in the ma er of right. Remember death frequently and (what is to come) a er death. Do not long for death except on a reliable condition. Avoid every action which a doer likes for his own self, but dislikes for the Muslims in general. Avoid every such action 82 A Land Most Goodly
which is performed in secret and from which shame is felt in the open. Also avoid that action about which if the doer is questioned he himself will regard it as bad or will have to off er excuses for it. Do not expose your honour to be treated as the subject of people’s discussions. Do not relate to the people all that you hear, for that will amount to falsehood. Do not contest all that the people relate to you for that will mean ignorance. Kill your anger and forgive when you have the power (to punish). Show forbearance in the moment of rage, and pardon in spite of authority; the eventual end will then be in your favour. Seek good out of every favour that Allah has bestowed upon you, and do not waste any favour of Allah over you. e eff ect of Allah’s favours over you should be visible on you. Know that the most distinguished among the believers is one who is the most forward of them in spending from himself, his family and his property, because whatever good you send forward will remain in store for you and the benefi t of whatever you keep behind will be derived by others. Avoid the company of a person whose opinion is unsound and whose actions are detestable, because a man is judged by his companions. Live in big cities because they are collective centres of the Muslims. Avoid places of neglectfulness and wickedness and places where there are paucity of supporters for the obedience of Allah. Confi ne your thinking to ma ers which are helpful to you. Do not sit in the marketing centres because they are the meeting places of Satan, and the targets of mischiefs. Frequently look at those over whom you enjoy superiority because this is a way of giving thanks. Do not undertake a journey on Friday until you have a ended the prayers, except when you are going in the way of Allah, or in an excusable ma er. Obey Allah in all of your aff airs because Allah’s obedience has precedence over all other things. Deceive Chapter 4: Leading Personalities from Yemen 83
your heart into worshipping, persuade it but do not force it. Engage it (in worshipping) when it is free and merry, except in regards to the obligations enjoined upon you, for they should not be neglected and must be performed at the fi ve times. Be on guard lest death comes down upon you while you have fl ed away from your Lord in search of worldly pleasure. Avoid the company of the wicked because vice adjoins vice. Regard Allah as great, and love His lovers. Keep off anger because it is one large army from Satan’s armies; and that is the end to a ma er. 68 10. Al Asbagh ibn Nubāta Al Asbagh was an extremely pious individual and had a special relationship with Imam Alī . Not only was he a commander of his in the Ba le of Siffi n, but he was also among the ‘ Shurta al Khamis’ or ‘Elite Five Guards’ who swore to protect Imam Alī in the ba les even if it took their lives. Asbagh was also one of the last, if not the last companion to see Imam Alī on his death bed. Among the beautiful traditions, he narrates, “One day I was leaning on the door of the Commander of the Faithful Alī and was entreating Allah in supplication when Imam Alī exited his house. He asked me, ‘O Asbagh, what are you doing?’ to which I replied, ‘Leaning and supplicating to Allah ’. He asked, ‘Would you like me to teach you a supplication that I heard from the Messenger of Allah?’ I replied in the affi rmative. He said, ‘Say: All praise belongs to Allah for what was; and all praise belongs to Allah in every state.’”69
68 h ps://www.al islam.org/nahjul balagha part 2 le ers and sayings/le er 69 al harith ibn abdillah al awar al hamdani (Last accessed on May 15, 2018) 69 urbī, Mu ammad b. Al ī al , Bishārat al Mu taā, p. 157; the Arabic text is as follows: اﻟﺤﻤﺪ ﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﲆ ﻣﺎ ﻛﺎن و اﻟﺤﻤﺪ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﲆ ﻛﻞ ﺣﺎل
Chapter 5 Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī
A treaty which Imam Alī worded for the Banī Rabī a tribe and the Yemenītes to agree upon, which was wri en by the Commander of the Faithful as a protocol between the tribes of Rabī a and the people of Yemen. Taken from the writing of Hisham ibn (Mu ammad) al Kalbi: is indenture contains what the people of Yemen, including the townsmen and nomads, and the tribes of Rabī a, including the townsmen and nomads, have agreed upon: at they will adhere to the Book of Allah, will call to it (the Book) and order according to it and will respond to whoever calls to it and orders according to it. ey will not sell it for any price, nor accept any alternative to it. ey will join hands against anyone who opposes it and abandons it. ey will help one another. eir voice will be one. ey will not break their pledge on account of the rebuke of a rebuker, the wrath of an angry person, the humiliating treatment of one group to the other, or the use of abusive terms by one party against the other. 86 A Land Most Goodly
is pledge is binding upon those of them who are present and those of them who are absent; those of them who are forbearing and those of them who are foolish; those of them who are learned and those of them who are ignorant. Along with this, the pledge of Allah is also binding upon them, and the pledge of Allah is to be accounted for.
Wri en by Alī ibn Abī ālib is is a treaty which has been agreed upon by the people of Yemen, be they urban or rural and pastoral, and the people of the Banī Rabī a tribe, be they dwellers of cities or those living in villages or the deserts. rough this treaty both of the parties have agreed that they will steadfastly adhere to their faith in the Holy Book, will accept its orders and tenets, will invite people towards it, and will pass verdicts according to its teachings and rulings, and that they will accept the call of those who invite them towards this Book and will accept the judgement passed according to it, and that they will not accept anything in lieu of this Book and will not sell it at any cost; and they will forsake those who forsake this Book, and they will unite to fi ght against those who go against this Book. ey promise to help each other and to speak with a common voice on aff airs of mutual interest. ey will not break this agreement on account of excitement or anger of any person; or because one participant considers the other humble, weak or powerless; or because one group speaks disparagingly of the other. Every member of the covenanting party whether present or absent, whether educated or illiterate, wise or ignorant, will stand by this agreement faithfully. Over and above the terms of this covenant is the promise of its observance which they have made to Allah and for which they Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī 87
will be held responsible.”70
Yemen’s support for Imam Alī during his Caliphate Mu i Ja far Husayn writes, “A er the tribe of Hamdan embraced Islam, the avenues for the progress and propagation of Islam opened up in Yemen. With the rays of the sun on knowledge, the darkness of disbelief was dispelled! In every nook and corner there were voices witnessing the Unity of Allah.”71 Mu i Husayn continues, “In the Ba le of Siffi n the tribe of Hamdan was solidly behind Alī. Seeing their exploits of valour, Alī said, ‘If I was the keeper to the Gate of Heaven, I would have asked the Tribe of Hamdan to enter peacefully.”72 When Alī ibn Abī ālib received successive news that Mu āwiyah’s men were occupying cities, and his own offi cers in Yemen namely Ubaydullāh ibn Abbās and Sa īd ibn Nimrān came to him retreating a er being overpowered by Busr ibn Abī Artah, he was quite disturbed by the slackness of his own men in jihād and their diff erences of opinion with him. Proceeding on to the pulpit he said: Nothing (is le for me) but Kufah which I can hold and extend (which is in my hand). (O Kufah) if this is your condition that whirlwinds continue blowing through you, then may Allah destroy you. 73 en he illustrated with the verse of a poet:
70 Le er 74, Nahj al Balaghah, h ps://www.al islam.org/nahjul balagha part 2 le ers and sayings/le er 74 treaty which imam ali hal worded bani rabia (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 71 Biography of Alī ibn Abī ālib, p. 285. 72 Ibid. e Arabic text is as follows: و ﻟﻮ ﻛﻨﺖ ﺑﻮاﺑﺎ ﻋﲆ ﺑﺎب ﺟﻨﺔ ﻟﻘﻠﺖ ﻟﻬﻤﺪان ادﺧﲇ ﺑﺴﻼم 73 Ibid. e Arabic text is as follows:
َﻣﺎ ِﻫ َﻲ ِإﻻﱠ ُاﻟﻜﻮﻓَ ُﺔ، أﻗْ ُﺒِﻀ َﻬﺎ َوأَﺑْ ُﺴﻄُ َﻬﺎ، ْإن ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ ُﻜﻮ· ِإﻻﱠ أَﻧْ ِﺖ، ﺗَ ُﻬ ﱡﺐ أَ َﻋ ِﺎﺻ ªُك، ﻓَ َﻘﺒﱠ َﺤ ِﻚ ُاﻟﻠﻪ! 88 A Land Most Goodly
O ‘Amr! I swear by your good father’s life! I have received only a small bit of fat from this pot (fat that remains sticking to it a er it has been emptied). en he continued: I have been informed that Busr has overpowered Yemen. By Allah, I have begun thinking about these people that they would shortly snatch away the whole country through their unity on their wrong and your disunity (from your own right); and separation, your disobedience of your Imam in ma ers of right and their obedience to their leader in ma ers of wrong; their fulfi lment of the trust in favour of their master and your betrayal; their good work in their cities and your mischief. Even if I give you charge of a wooden bowl I fear that you will run away with its handle. O my God, they are disgusted of me and I am disgusted of them. ey are weary of me and I am weary of them. Change them for me with be er ones, and change me for them with a worse one. O my God, melt their hearts as salt melts in water. By Allah, I wish I had only a thousand horsemen of Banū Firās ibn Ghanam (as the poet says): ‘If you call them the horsemen would come to you like a summer cloud.’ erea er Imam Alī alighted from the pulpit. When a er the arbitration Mu āwiyah’s position was stabilized he began thinking of taking possession of Alī ibn Abī ālib’s cities and extend his own domain. He sent his armies to diff erent areas in order that they might secure allegiance for Mu āwiyah by force. In this connection he sent Busr ibn Abī Artat to Hijāz who shed the blood of thousands of innocent people from there up to Yemen, burned alive tribes a er tribes in fi re, and even killed children, so much so that he butchered the two young boys of Ubaydullāh ibn Abbās, the Governor of Yemen right in front of their mother Juwayriyah bint Khālid ibn Qaraz al Kināniyyah. Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī 89
When Alī ibn Abī ālib came to know about his slaughtering and bloodshed he thought of sending a contingent to crush him, but due to the continuous fi ghting, people had become weary and showed heartlessness instead of zeal. When Alī ibn Abī ālib observed their shirking from war he delivered this sermon wherein he roused them to enthusiasm and self respect, and prompted them to jihād by describing before them the enemy’s wrongfulness and their own short comings. At last Jāriyah ibn dāmah al Sa dī responded to his call and taking an army of 200,000 set off in pursuit of Busr and chased him out of the Commander of the Faithful’s domain.
Imam Alī tea es a powerful supplication to a Yemenī in need One day Imam al asan entered the area where Imam Alī was and said, “O Commander of the Faithful, there is a man at the door asking for permission to enter. He has a scent of musk emanating from him.” “Permit him to enter” came the reply. ere entered a nicely built man, handsome, with an awesome sight, tall and proportionate. He was eloquently spoken and wore the garment of kings. “Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful. I am a man from the farthest part of Yemen and from the noble families of the Arabs, and I am affi liated to you. I have le behind me a great kingdom. I have an overwhelming bounty, a smooth life, things easily accessible and established lands. I have removed the vagueness from my aff airs and time has given me experience. Yet I have a diffi cult and a tricky enemy. He weighs me down, overcomes me with amassed forces, has the the great strength of his supporters, all shoulder to shoulder. I have grown tired in fi nding a way against him.” e man continued his story, “I was asleep one night when someone came to me in my dream and said crying out, ‘Stand up, O man and go to the best of creation a er the Prophet, the Commander of the Faithful, 90 A Land Most Goodly
Alī ibn Abī ālib. Ask him to teach you the supplication taught to him by the Beloved of Allah, the one chosen by Him from among His creation, Mu ammad ibn Abdullāh . It contains the great name of God. So supplicate this prayer against your enemy.’” “I got up aware and cognisant, O Commander of the Faithful. I did not go anywhere until I personally came to you with 400 of my servants. I a est to Allah and His Messenger and to you, that they are free, for I have freed them for the sake of Allah, may His greatness be magnifi ed.” “I came to you from a distant ravine and vast land. I have become internally weak, and enfeebled. Grace me O Commander of the Faithful with your exceeding blessing. [I ask you] by the right of the fatherhood position that you hold [over the nations] and the tight blood relations. Teach me the supplication which I was told about in my dream and was called upon to come to you for.” So the Commander of the Faithful replied, “Yes by the will of God.” He asked for a pen and paper and wrote for him this supplication.
ِﺑ ْﺴ ِﻢ اﻟﻠﱣ ِﻪ ﱠاﻟﺮ ْﺣ ٰﻤ ِﻦ ﱠاﻟﺮ ِﺣ ِﻴﻢ
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟﻠﱣ ُﻪ اﻟْ َﻤ ِﻠ ُﻚ اﻟْ َﺤ ﱡﻖ اﻟﱠ ِﺬ ي ﻻَ ِإﻟٰ َﻪ ِإﻻﱠ أَﻧْ َﺖ َو أَﻧَﺎ َﻋﺒْ ُﺪ َك َو أَﻧْ َﺖ َر ﱢË ﻇَﻠَ ْﻤ ُﺖ ﻧَ ِﻔْﴘ َو ْاﻋ َﱰَﻓْ ُﺖ ِﺑ َﺬﻧْﺒِﻲ َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ْﻐ ِﻔ ُﺮ ﱡاﻟﺬﻧُ َﻮب ِإﻻﱠ أَﻧْ َﺖ ﻓَ ْﺎﻏ ِﻔ ْﺮ ِﱄ ﻳَ ﺎ َﻏ ُﻔُﻮر ﻳَﺎ ُﺷَﻜ ُﻮر
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ِإ·ﱢ أَ ْﺣ َﻤ ُﺪ َك َو أَﻧْ َﺖ ﻟِﻠْ َﺤ ْﻤ ِﺪ أَ ْﻫﻞٌ َﻋﲆَ َﻣﺎ َﺧ َﺼ ْﺼﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﻣ َﻮ ِاﻫ ِﺐ ﱠاﻟﺮ َﻏﺎﺋِ ِﺐ َو َﻣﺎ َو َﺻﻞَ ِإﱄَ ﱠ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻓَ ْﻀ ِﻠ َﻚ ﱠاﻟﺴ ِﺎﺑﻎِ َو َﻣﺎ أَ ْوﻟَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ ِإ ْﺣ َﺴﺎﻧِ َﻚ ِإﱄَ ﱠ َو ﺑَ ﱠﻮأْﺗَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﻣ ِﻈ ﱠﻨ ِﺔ اﻟْ َﻌ ْﺪ ِل َو أَﻧَﻠْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﻣ ﱢﻨ َﻚ اﻟْ َﻮ ِاﺻ ِﻞ ِإﱄَ ﱠ َو ِﻣ َﻦ Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī 91
ﱢاﻟﺪﻓَ ِﺎع َﻋ ﱢﻨﻲ َو اﻟﺘﱠ ْﻮ ِﻓ ِﻴﻖ ِﱄ َو اﻹْ ِ َﺟﺎﺑَ ِﺔ ﻟِ ُﺪ َﻋ ِﺎÏ َﺣﺘﱠﻰ أُﻧَ ِﺎﺟﻴَ َﻚ َد ِاﻋﻴﺎً َو أَ ْد ُﻋ َﻮ َك ُﻣ َﻀﺎﻣﺎً
َو أَ ْﺳﺄَﻟَ َﻚ ﻓَﺄَ ِﺟ َﺪ َك ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻤ َﻮ ِاﻃ ِﻦ ﻛُﻠﱢ َﻬﺎ ِﱄ َﺟ ِﺎﺑﺮاً َو ِﰲ اﻷْ ُ ُﻣ ِﻮر ﻧَ ِﺎﻇﺮاً َو ﻟِ ُﺬﻧُ ِﻮË َﻏ ِﺎﻓﺮاً َو ﻟِ َﻌ ْﻮ َر ِاÑ َﺳﺎﺗِﺮاً
ﻟَ ْﻢ أَ ْﻋ َﺪ ْ م َﺧ ْ ªَ َ ك ﻃَ ْﺮﻓَ َﺔ َﻋ ْ ٍ ُﻣ ْﺬ أَﻧْ َﺰﻟْﺘَ ِﻨ ﻲ َد َار ِاﻹ ْﺧ ِﺘﺒَ ِﺎر ﻟِﺘَ ْﻨﻈُ َﺮ َﻣﺎ أُﻗَ ﱢﺪ ُم ﻟِ َﺪ ِار اﻟْ َﻘ َﺮ ِار ﻓَﺄَﻧَﺎ َﻋ ِﺘ ُﻴﻘ َﻚ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺟ ِﻤﻴﻊِ ْاﻵﻓَ ِﺎت َو اﻟْ َﻤ َﺼﺎﺋِ ِﺐ ِﰲ اﻟﻠﱠ َﻮ ِاز ِب َو اﻟْ ُﻐ ُﻤ ِﻮم اﻟﱠ ِﺘﻲ َﺳ َﺎو َرﺗْ ِﻨﻲ ِﻓ َﻴﻬﺎ اﻟْ ُﻬ ُﻤ ُﻮم ِﺑ َـﻤ َﻌ ِﺎر ِﻳﺾ أَ ْﺻ َﻨ ِﺎف اﻟْﺒَﻼَ ِء َو َﻣ ْ ُﴫ ِوف ُﺟ ْﻬ ِﺪ اﻟْ َﻘ َﻀ ِﺎء ﻻَ أَ ْذ ُﻛُﺮ ِﻣ ْﻨ َﻚ ِإﻻﱠ اﻟْ َﺠ ِﻤﻴﻞَ َو ﻻَ أَ َرى ِﻣ ْﻨ َﻚ َﻏ ْ ªَ اﻟﺘﱠ ِﻔْﻀ ِﻴﻞ
َﺧ ْ ªُ َك ِﱄ ِﺷَﺎﻣﻞٌ َو ﻓَ ْﻀﻠُ َﻚ َﻋﲇَ ﱠ ُﻣﺘَ َﻮاﺗِ ٌﺮ َو ﻧِ ْﻌ َﻤﺘُ َﻚ ِﻋ ْﻨ ِﺪي ُﻣﺘﱠ ِﺼﻠَ ٌﺔ َو َﺳ َﻮ ِاﺑ ُﻖ َ[ﺳ َﻮ ِاﺑ ُﻎ ] ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﺤ ﱢﻘ ْﻖ ِﺣ َﺬ ِار ي ﺑَﻞْ َﺻ ﱠﺪﻗْ َﺖ َر َﺟ ِﺎÏ َو َﺻ َﺎﺣﺒْ َﺖ أَ ْﺳ ِﻔَﺎري َو أَ َﻛْﺮ ْﻣ َﺖ أَ ْﺣ َﻀ ِﺎري َو ﺷَﻔَﻴْ َﺖ أَ ْﻣ َﺮ ِاﴈ َو أَ ْو َﺻ ِﺎË َو َﻋﺎﻓَﻴْ َﺖ ُﻣ ْﻨ َﻘﻠَﺒِﻲ َو َﻣﺜْ َﻮ َاي َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ ِﺸْﻤ ْﺖ Ëِ أَ ْﻋ َﺪ ِاÏ َو َر َﻣﻴْ َﺖ َﻣ ْﻦ َر َﻣ ِﺎ· َو ﻛَﻔَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ َﻣﺌُﻮﻧَ َﺔ َﻣ ْﻦ َﻋ َﺎد ِا·
ﻓَ َﺤ ْﻤ ِﺪي ﻟَ َﻚ َو ِاﺻﻞٌ َو ﺛَ َﻨ ِﺎÏ ﻟَ َﻚ َداﺋِ ٌﻢ ِﻣ َﻦ ﱠاﻟﺪ ْﻫ ِﺮ ِإﱃَ ﱠاﻟﺪ ْﻫ ِﺮ ِﺑﺄَﻟْ َﻮ ِان اﻟﺘﱠ ْﺴ ِﺒِﻴﺢ َﺧﺎﻟِﺼﺎً ﻟِ ِﺬ ِﻛْﺮ َك َو َﻣ ْﺮ ِﺿﻴّﺎً ﻟَ َﻚ ِﺑ َﻨ ِﺎﺻﻊِ اﻟﺘﱠ ْﻮ ِﺣ ِﻴﺪ َو ِإ ْﻣ َﺤ ِﺎض اﻟﺘﱠ ْﻤ ِﺠ ِﻴﺪ ِﺑﻄُ ِﻮل اﻟﺘﱠ ْﻌ ِﺪ ِﻳﺪ َو َﻣ ِﺰﻳﱠ ِﺔ أَ ْﻫ ِﻞ اﻟْ َﻤ ِﺰ ِﻳﺪ 92 A Land Most Goodly
ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﻌ ْﻦ ِﰲ ﻗُ ْﺪ َرﺗِ َﻚ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﺸَﺎر ْك ِﰲ ِإﻟَ ِﻬﻴﱠ ِﺘ َﻚ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﻌﻠﱠ ْﻢ ِإ ْذ َﺣﺒَ ْﺴ َﺖ اﻷْ َﺷْﻴَ َﺎء َﻋﲆَ اﻟْ َﻐ َﺮاﺋِ ِﺰ َو ﻻَ َﺧ َﺮﻗَ ِﺖ اﻷْ َ ْو َﻫ ُﺎم ُﺣ ُﺠ َﺐ اﻟْ ُﻐﻴُ ِﻮب ﻓَﺘَ ْﻌﺘَ ِﻘ ُﺪ ِﻓ َﻴﻚ َﻣ ْﺤ ُﺪوداً ِ ﰲ َﻋﻈَ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ
ﻓَﻼَ ﻳَﺒْﻠُ ُﻐ َﻚ ﺑُ ْﻌ ُﺪ اﻟْ ِﻬ َﻤ ِﻢ َو ﻻَ ﻳَ َﻨﺎﻟُ َﻚ َﻏ ْﻮ ُص اﻟْ ِﻔ َﻜ ِﺮ َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ْﻨﺘَ ِﻬﻲ ِإﻟَﻴْ َﻚ ﻧَﻈَ ُﺮ ﻧَ ِﺎﻇ ٍﺮ ِ ﰲ َﻣ ْﺠ ِﺪ َﺟ َ ُﱪوﺗِ َﻚ ْارﺗَ َﻔَﻌ ْﺖ َﻋ ْﻦ ِﺻ ِﻔَﺔ اﻟْ َﻤ ْﺨﻠُ ِﻮﻗ َ ِﺻ ُﻔَﺎت ﻗُ ْﺪ َرﺗِ َﻚ َو َﻋﻼَ َﻋ ْﻦ ٰذﻟِ َﻚ ﻛِ ْ ِﱪﻳَ ُﺎء َﻋﻈَ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ ﻻَ ﻳَ ْﻨ ُﻘ ُﺺ َﻣﺎ أَ َر ْد َت أَ ْن ﻳَ ْﺰ َد َاد َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ْﺰ َد ُاد َﻣﺎ أَ َر ْد َت أَ ْن ﻳَ ْﻨ ُﻘ َﺺ َو ﻻَ أَ َﺣ ٌﺪ َﺣ َ َﴬ َك ِﺣ َ ﺑَ َﺮأْ َت ﱡاﻟﻨ َﻔُﻮس
ﻛَﻠﱠ ِﺖ اﻷْ َ ْو َﻫ ُﺎم َﻋ ْﻦ ﺗَ ِﻔْﺴ ªِ ِﺻ ِﻔَﺘ َﻚ َو اﻧْ َﺤ َ َﴪ ِت اﻟْ ُﻌ ُﻘ ُﻮل َﻋ ْﻦ ْﻛُﻨ ِﻪ َﻋﻈَ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ َو ﻛَﻴْ َﻒ ﺗُ َﻮﺻ ُﻒ َو أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟْ َﺠﺒﱠ ُﺎر اﻟْ ُﻘ ﱡﺪ ُوس اﻟﱠ ِﺬي ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ َﺰ ْل أَ َزﻟِﻴّﺎً َداﺋِـً ِﰲ اﻟْ ُﻐﻴُ ِﻮب َو ْﺣ َﺪ َك ﻟَﻴْ َﺲ ِﻓ َﻴﻬﺎ َﻏ ْ ªُ َك َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﻳَ ُﻜ ْﻦ ﻟَ َﻬﺎ ِﺳ َﻮ َاك
َﺣ َﺎر ِﰲ َﻣﻠَ ُﻜﻮﺗِ َﻚ َﻋ ِﻤ َﻴﻘ ُﺎت َﻣ َﺬ ِاﻫ ِﺐ اﻟﺘﱠ ِﻔْﻜ ªِ ﻓَﺘَ َﻮ َاﺿ َﻌ ِﺖ اﻟْ ُﻤﻠُ ُﻮك ﻟِ َﻬﻴْﺒَ ِﺘ َﻚ َو َﻋ َﻨ ِﺖ اﻟْ ُﻮ ُﺟ ُﻮه ِﺑ ُﺬ ﱢل ِاﻹ ْﺳ ِﺘ َﻜﺎﻧَ ِﺔ ﻟَ َﻚ َو اﻧْ َﻘ َﺎد ﻛُﻞﱡ َ ْ ﳾ ٍء ﻟِ َﻌﻈَ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ َو ْاﺳﺘَ ْﺴﻠَ َﻢ ﻛُﻞﱡ َ ْ ﳾ ٍء ﻟِ ُﻘ ْﺪ َرﺗِ َﻚ َو َﺧ َﻀ َﻌ ْﺖ ﻟَ َﻚ ﱢاﻟﺮﻗَ ُﺎب َو ﻛَﻞﱠ ُد َون ٰذﻟِ َﻚ ﺗَ ْﺤ ُﺒªِ اﻟﻠﱡ َﻐ ِﺎت َو َﺿﻞﱠ ُﻫ َﻨﺎﻟِ َﻚ اﻟﺘﱠ ْﺪ ِﺑ ªُ ِﰲ ﺗَ َﺼ ِﺎر ِﻳﻒ ﱢاﻟﺼ ِﻔَﺎت
ﻓَ َﻤ ْﻦ ﺗَ ﱠﻔَﻜ َﺮ ِﰲ ٰذﻟِ َﻚ َر َﺟ َﻊ ﻃَ ْﺮﻓُ ُﻪ ِإﻟَﻴْ ِﻪ َﺣ ِﺴªاً َو َﻋ ْﻘﻠُ ُﻪ َﻣﺒْ ُﻬﻮراً َو ﺗَ ﱡﻔَﻜ ُﺮ ُه Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī 93
ُﻣﺘَ َﺤ ﱢªاً
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ﻓَﻠَ َﻚ اﻟْ َﺤ ْﻤ ُﺪ ُﻣﺘَ َﻮاﺗِﺮاً ُﻣﺘَ َﻮاﻟِﻴﺎً ُﻣﺘﱠ ِﺴﻘﺎً ُﻣ ْﺴﺘَ ْﻮﺛِﻘﺎً ﻳَ ُﺪ ُوم َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ُﺒِﻴﺪ َﻏ ْ ªَ َﻣ ُﻔْﻘ ٍﻮد ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻤﻠَ ُﻜ ِﻮت َو ﻻَ َﻣﻄْ ُﻤ ٍﻮس ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻌﺎﻟَ ِﻢ َو ﻻَ ُﻣ ْﻨﺘَ َﻘ ٍﺺ ِﰲ اﻟْ ِﻌ ْﺮﻓَ ِﺎن
َو ﻟَ َﻚ اﻟْ َﺤ ْﻤ ُﺪ َﻣﺎ ﻻَ ﺗُ ْﺤ َﴡ َﻣ َﻜ ِﺎر ُﻣ ُﻪ ِﰲ اﻟﻠﱠﻴْ ِﻞ ِإ َذا أَ ْدﺑَ َﺮ َو ﱡاﻟﺼﺒْ ِﺢ ِإ َذا أَ ْﺳ َﻔَﺮ َو ِ ﰲ اﻟْ َ َﱪ ِاري َو اﻟْ َﺒِﺤ ِﺎر َو اﻟْ ُﻐ ُﺪ ﱢو َو ْاﻵ َﺻ ِﺎل َو اﻟْ َﻌ ِ ﱢﴚ َو اﻹْ ِﺑْ َﻜ ِﺎر َو ِﰲ اﻟﻈﱠ َﻬﺎﺋِ ِﺮ َو اﻷْ َ ْﺳ َﺤ ِﺎر
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ِﺑﺘَ ْﻮ ِﻓ ِﻴﻘ َﻚ ﻗَ ْﺪ أَ ْﺣ َ ْﴬﺗَ ِﻨﻲ ﱠاﻟﺮ ْﻏﺒَ َﺔ َو َﺟ َﻌﻠْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻨ َﻚ ِﰲ َوﻻَ ﻳَ ِﺔ اﻟْ ِﻌ ْﺼ َﻤ ِﺔ ﻓَﻠَ ْﻢ أَﺑْ َﺮ ْح ِﰲ ُﺳﺒُ ِﻮغ ﻧَ ْﻌ َﺋِ َﻚ َو ﺗَـﺘَﺎﺑُﻊِ آﻻَ ﺋِ َﻚ
َﻣ ْﺤﻔُﻮﻇﺎً ﻟَ َﻚ ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻤ َﻨ َﻌ ِﺔ َو ﱢاﻟﺪﻓَ ِﺎع َﻣ ُﺤﻮﻃﺎً ِﺑ َﻚ ِﰲ َﻣﺜْ َﻮ َاي َو ُﻣ ْﻨ َﻘﻠَﺒِﻲ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﻜﻠﱢ ِﻔْﻨﻲ ﻓَ ْﻮ َق ﻃَﺎﻗَ ِﺘﻲ ِإ ْذ ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ ْﺮ َض ِﻣ ﱢﻨﻲ ِإﻻﱠ ﻃَﺎﻗَ ِﺘﻲ َو ﻟَﻴْ َﺲ ْﺷُﻜ ِﺮي َو ِإ ْن ﺑَﺎﻟَ ْﻐ ُﺖ ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻤ َﻘ ِﺎل َو ﺑَﺎﻟَ ْﻐ ُﺖ ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻔَﻌ ِﺎل ِﺑﺒَﺎﻟِﻎٍ أَ َد َاء َﺣ ﱢﻘ َﻚ َو ﻻَ ُﻣ َﻜ ِﺎﻓﻴﺎً ﻟِ ْﻔَﻀ ِﻠ َﻚ ِﻷَﻧﱠ َﻚ أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻪ اﻟﱠ ِﺬي ﻻَ ِإﻟَ َﻪ ِإﻻﱠ أَﻧْ َﺖ ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ ِﻐ ْﺐ َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ِﻐ ُﻴﺐ َﻋ ْﻨ َﻚ َﻏﺎﺋِﺒَ ٌﺔ َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ْﺨﻔَﻰ َﻋﻠَﻴْ َﻚ َﺧ ِﺎﻓﻴَ ٌﺔ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ ِﻀﻞﱠ ﻟَ َ ﻚ ِﰲ ﻇُﻠَ ِﻢ اﻟْ َﺨ ِﻔﻴﱠ ِﺎت َﺿﺎﻟﱠ ٌﺔ ِإﻧﱠ َـ أَ ْﻣ ُﺮ َك ِإ َذا أَ َر ْد َت ﺷَﻴْﺌﺎً أَ ْن ﺗَ ُﻘ َﻮل ﻟَ ُﻪ ْﻛُﻦ ﻓَﻴَ ُﻜ ُﻮن
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ﻟَ َﻚ اﻟْ َﺤ ْﻤ ُﺪ ِﻣﺜْﻞَ َﻣﺎ َﺣ ِﻤ ْﺪ َت ِﺑ ِﻪ ﻧَ َﻔْﺴ َﻚ َو أَ ْﺿ َﻌ َﺎف َﻣﺎ َﺣ ِﻤ َﺪ َك ِﺑ ِﻪ 94 A Land Most Goodly
اﻟْ َﺤ ِﺎﻣ ُﺪ َون َو َﻣ ﱠﺠ َﺪ َك ِﺑ ِﻪ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻤ ﱢﺠ ُﺪ َون َو ﱠ َﻛَﱪ َك ِﺑ ِﻪ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻜ ﱢ ُﱪ َون َو َﻋﻈﱠ َﻤ َﻚ ِﺑ ِﻪ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻌﻈﱢ ُﻤ َﻮن َﺣﺘﱠﻰ ﻳَ ُﻜ َﻮن ﻟَ َﻚ ِﻣ ﱢﻨﻲ َو ْﺣ ِﺪي ِﰲ ﻛُﻞﱢ ﻃَ ْﺮﻓَ ِﺔ َﻋ ْ ٍ َو أَﻗَﻞﱠ ِﻣ ْﻦ ٰذﻟِ َﻚ ِﻣﺜْﻞَ َﺣ ْﻤ ِﺪ اﻟْ َﺤ ِﺎﻣ ِﺪ َﻳﻦ َو ﺗَ ْﻮ ِﺣ ِﻴﺪ أَ ْﺻ َﻨ ِﺎف اﻟْ ُﻤ ْﺨ ِﻠ ِﺼ َ َو ﺗَ ْﻘ ِﺪ ِﻳﺲ أَ ْﺟ َﻨ ِﺎس اﻟْ َﻌ ِﺎر ِﻓ َ َو ﺛَ َﻨ ِﺎء َﺟ ِﻤﻴﻊِ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻬﻠﱢ ِﻠ َ َو ِﻣﺜْﻞَ َﻣﺎ أَﻧْ َﺖ ِﺑ ِﻪ َﻋ ِﺎر ٌف ِﻣ ْﻦ ِر ْز ِﻗ َﻚ ْاﻋ ِﺘﺒَﺎراً َو ﻓَ ْﻀﻼً َو َﺳﺄَﻟْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻨ ُﻪ ﻳَ ِﺴªاً َﺻ ِﻐªاً َو أَ ْﻋﻔَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺟ ِﻤﻴﻊِ َﺧﻠْ ِﻘ َﻚ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻟْ َﺤﻴَ َﻮ ِان
َو أَ ْر َﻏ ُﺐ ِإﻟَﻴْ َﻚ ِﰲ َر ْﻏﺒَ ِﺔ َﻣﺎ أَﻧْﻄَ ْﻘﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺣ ْﻤ ِﺪ َك ﻓَ َ أَﻳْ َ َﴪ َﻣﺎ ﻛَﻠﱠﻔْﺘَ ِﻨ ﻲ ِﺑ ِﻪ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺣ ﱢﻘ َﻚ َو أَ ْﻋﻈَ َﻢ َﻣﺎ َو َﻋ ْﺪﺗَ ِﻨﻲ َﻋﲆَ ْﺷُﻜ ِﺮ َك اﺑْﺘَ َﺪأْﺗَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑ ﱢﺎﻟﻨ َﻌ ِﻢ ﻓَ ْﻀﻼً َو ﻃَ ْﻮﻻً َو أَ َﻣ ْﺮﺗَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑ ْﺎﻟﺸﱡﻜ ِﺮ َﺣ ّﻘﺎً َو َﻋ ْﺪﻻً َو َو َﻋ ْﺪﺗَ ِﻨﻲ َﻋﻠَﻴْ ِﻪ أَ ْﺿ َﻌﺎﻓﺎً َو َﻣ ِﺰﻳﺪاً َو أَ ْﻋﻄَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ ِر ْز ِﻗ َﻚ ْاﻋ ِﺘﺒَﺎراً َو ﻓَ ْﻀﻼً َو َﺳﺄَﻟْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻨ ُﻪ ﻳَ ِﺴªاً َﺻ ِﻐªاً َو أَ ْﻋﻔَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺟ ْﻬ ِﺪ اﻟْﺒَﻼَ ِء َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﺴﻠﱢ ْﻤ ِﻨﻲ ﻟِ ﱡﻠﺴ ِﻮء ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺑَﻼَ ﺋِ َﻚ
َﻣ َﻊ َﻣﺎ أَ ْوﻟَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻟْ َﻌ ِﺎﻓﻴَ ِﺔ َو َﺳ ﱠﻮ ْﻏ َﺖ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﻛَﺮاﺋِ ِﻢ ﱡاﻟﻨ ْﺤ ِﻞ َو َﺿ َﺎﻋ َﻔْﺖ ِ َﱄ اﻟْ ْﻔَﻀﻞَ َﻣ َﻊ َﻣﺎ أَ ْو َد ْﻋﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻟْ ُﺤ ﱠﺠ ِﺔ ﱠ ِاﻟﴩ ِﻳﻔَﺔ َو ﻳَ ﱠ ْﴪ َت ِﱄ ِﻣ َﻦ ﱠاﻟﺪ َر َﺟ ِﺔ ﱠاﻟﺮ ِﻓ َﻴﻌ ِﺔ َو ْاﺻﻄَﻔَﻴْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﺑﺄَ ْﻋﻈَ ِﻢ ﱠاﻟﻨﺒِﻴﱢ َ َد ْﻋ َﻮةً َو أَﻓْ َﻀ ِﻠ ِﻬ ْﻢ َﺷَﻔَﺎﻋ ًﺔ ُﻣ َﺤ ﱠﻤ ٍﺪ
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ْاﻏ ِﻔ ْﺮ ِﱄ َﻣﺎ ﻻَ ﻳَ َﺴ ُﻌ ُﻪ ِإﻻﱠ َﻣ ْﻐ ِﻔ َﺮﺗُ َﻚ َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ْـﻤ َﺤ ُﻘ ُﻪ ِإﻻﱠ َﻋ ُﻔْﻮ َك َو ﻻَ ﻳُ َﻜ ُﻔﱢﺮ ُه ِإﻻﱠ ﻓَ ْﻀﻠُ َﻚ َو َﻫ ْﺐ ِﱄ ِﰲ ﻳَ ْﻮ ِﻣﻲ َﻫ َﺬا ﻳَ ِﻘﻴﻨﺎً ﺗُ َﻬ ﱢﻮ ُن َﻋﲇَ ﱠ ِﺑ ِﻪ ُﻣ ِﺼﻴﺒَ ِﺎت Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī 95
ﱡاﻟﺪﻧْﻴَﺎ َو أَ ْﺣ َﺰاﻧَ َﻬﺎ ِﺑ ْﺸَﻮ ٍق ِإﻟَﻴْ َﻚ َو َر ْﻏﺒَ ٍﺔ ِﻓ َﻴ ِﻋ ْﻨ َﺪ َك َو اﻛْﺘُ ْﺐ ِﱄ ِﻋ ْﻨ َﺪ َك اﻟْ َﻤ ْﻐ ِﻔ َﺮةَ َو ﺑَﻠﱢ ْﻐ ِﻨ َﻲ اﻟْ َﻜ َﺮ َاﻣ َﺔ َو ْار ُزﻗْ ِﻨﻲ ْﺷُﻜ َﺮ َﻣﺎ أَﻧْ َﻌ ْﻤ َﺖ ِﺑ ِﻪ َﻋﲇَ ﱠ ﻓَ ِﺈﻧﱠ َﻚ أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻪ اﻟْ َﻮ ِاﺣ ُﺪ ﱠاﻟﺮ ِﻓ ُﻴﻊ اﻟْﺒَ ِﺪ ي ُء اﻟْﺒَ ِﺪ ُﻳﻊ ﱠاﻟﺴ ِﻤ ُﻴﻊ اﻟْ َﻌ ِﻠ ُﻴﻢ اﻟﱠ ِﺬي ﻟَﻴْ َﺲ ِﻷَ ْﻣ ِﺮ َك َﻣ ْﺪﻓَ ٌﻊ َو ﻻَ َﻋ ْﻦ ﻗَ َﻀﺎﺋِ َﻚ ُﻣ ْﻤﺘَ ِﻨ ٌﻊ
أَ َﺷْﻬ ُﺪ أَﻧﱠ َﻚ َر ﱢË َو َر ﱡب ﻛُﻞﱢ َ ْ ﳾ ٍء ﻓَ ِﺎﻃ ُﺮ ﱠاﻟﺴ َ َو ِات َو اﻷْ َ ْر ِض َﻋﺎﻟِ ُﻢ اﻟْ َﻐﻴْ ِﺐ َو َاﻟﺸﱠﻬ َﺎد ِة اﻟْ َﻌ ِ ﱡﲇ اﻟْ َﻜ ُﺒªِ
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ِإ·ﱢ أَ ْﺳﺄَﻟُ َﻚ اﻟﺜﱠﺒَ َﺎت ِﰲ اﻷْ َ ْﻣ ِﺮ َو اﻟْ َﻌ ِﺰ َﻳـﻤ َﺔ َﻋﲆَ ﱡاﻟﺮ ِﺷْﺪ َو ْاﻟﺸﱡﻜ َﺮ َﻋ ﲆَ ﻧِ ْﻌ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ َو أَ ُﻋ ُﻮذ ِﺑ َﻚ ِﻣ ْﻦ َﺟ ْﻮ ِر ﻛُﻞﱢ َﺟﺎﺋِ ٍﺮ َو ﺑَ ْﻐ ِﻲ ﻛُﻞﱢ ﺑَ ٍﺎغ َو َﺣ َﺴ ِﺪ ﻛُﻞﱢ َﺣ ِﺎﺳ ٍﺪ ِﺑ َﻚ أَ ُﺻ ُﻮل َﻋﲆَ اﻷْ َ ْﻋ َﺪ ِاء َو ِﺑ َﻚ أَ ْر ُﺟﻮ َوﻻَ ﻳَ َﺔ اﻷْ َ ِﺣﺒﱠ ِﺎء َﻣ َﻊ َﻣﺎ ﻻَ أَ ْﺳﺘَ ِﻄ ُﻴﻊ ِإ ْﺣ َﺼ َﺎء ُه َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ْﻌ ِﺪ َﻳﺪ ُه ِﻣ ْﻦ َﻋ َﻮاﺋِ ِﺪ ﻓَ ْﻀ ِﻠ َﻚ َو ﻃُ َﺮ ِف ِر ْز ِﻗ َﻚ َو أَﻟْ َﻮ ِان َﻣﺎ أَ ْوﻟَﻴْ َﺖ ِﻣ ْﻦ ِإ ْرﻓَ ِﺎد َك ﻓَ ِﺈﻧﱠ َﻚ أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻪ اﻟﱠ ِﺬي ﻻَ ِإﻟَ َﻪ ِإﻻﱠ أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟْ ِﻔَﺎﳾ ِﰲ اﻟْ َﺨﻠْ ِﻖ ِرﻓْ ُﺪ ُه اﻟْﺒَ ِﺎﺳ ُﻂ ِﺑﺎﻟْ َﺤ ِﻖ ﻳَ ُﺪ َك َو ﻻَ ﺗُ َﻀ ﱡﺎد ِﰲ ُﺣ ْﻜ ِﻤ َﻚ َو ﻻَ ﺗُ َﻨ َﺎز ُع ِﰲ أَ ْﻣ ِﺮ َك ﺗَ ْـﻤ ِﻠ ُﻚ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻷْ َﻧَ ِﺎم َﻣﺎ ﺗَ ُﺸَﺎء َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ْـﻤ ِﻠ ُﻜ َﻮن ِإﻻﱠ َﻣﺎ ﺗُ ِﺮ ُﻳﺪ
ﻗُ ِﻞ اﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ﻣﺎﻟِ َﻚ اﻟْ ُﻤﻠْ ِﻚ ﺗُ ْﺆ Ñِ اﻟْ ُﻤﻠْ َﻚ َﻣ ْﻦ ﺗَ ُﺸﺂء َو ﺗَ ْﻨ ِﺰ ُع اﻟْ ُﻤﻠْ َﻚ ِﻣ ﱠﻤ ْﻦ ﺗَ ُﺸﺂء َو ﺗُ ِﻌ ﱡﺰ َﻣ ْﻦ ﺗَ ُﺸﺂء َو ﺗُ ِﺬ ﱡل َﻣ ْﻦ ﺗَ ُﺸﺂء ِﺑﻴَ ِﺪ َك اﻟْ َﺨ ْ ªُ ِإﻧﱠ َﻚ َﻋ ﲆ ﻛُﻞﱢ َ ْ ﳾ ٍء ﻗَ ِﺪ ٌﻳﺮ ﺗُﻮﻟِ ُﺞ اﻟﻠﱠﻴْﻞَ ِﰲ ﱠاﻟﻨ ِﻬﺎر َو ﺗُﻮﻟِ ُﺞ ﱠاﻟﻨ َﻬﺎر ِﰲ اﻟﻠﱠﻴْ ِﻞ َو ﺗُ ْﺨ ِﺮ ُج اﻟْ َﺤ ﱠﻲ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻟْ َﻤﻴﱢ ِﺖ َو ﺗُ ْﺨ ِﺮ ُج 96 A Land Most Goodly
اﻟْ َﻤﻴﱢ َﺖ ِﻣ َﻦ اﻟْ َﺤ ﱢﻲ َو ﺗَ ْﺮ ُز ُق َﻣ ْﻦ ﺗَ ُﺸﺂء ِﺑ َﻐ ْ ªِ ِﺣ ٍﺴﺎب
أَﻧْ َﺖ اﻟْ ُﻤ ْﻨ ِﻌ ُﻢ اﻟْ ُﻤ ِﻔْﻀﻞُ اﻟْ َﺨﺎﻟِ ُﻖ اﻟْﺒَ ِﺎرئُ اﻟْ َﻘ ِﺎد ُر اﻟْ َﻘ ِﺎﻫ ُﺮ اﻟْ ُﻤ َﻘ ﱠﺪ ُس ِﰲ ﻧُ ِﻮر اﻟْ ُﻘ ْﺪ ِس ﺗَ َﺮ ﱠدﻳْ َﺖ ِﺑﺎﻟْ َﻤ ْﺠ ِﺪ َو اﻟْ ِﻌ ﱢﺰ َو ﺗَ َﻌﻈﱠ ْﻤ َﺖ ِﺑﺎﻟْ ِﻜ ْ ِﱪﻳَ ِﺎء َو ﺗَ َﻐﺸﱠﻴْ َﺖ ِﺑ ﱡﺎﻟﻨ ِﻮر َو اﻟْﺒَ َﻬ ِﺎء َو ﺗَ َﺠﻠﱠﻠْ َﺖ ِﺑﺎﻟْ َﻤ َﻬﺎﺑَ ِﺔ َو ﱠاﻟﺴ َﻨ ِﺎء ﻟَ َﻚ اﻟْ َﻤ ﱡﻦ اﻟْ َﻘ ِﺪ ُﻳﻢ َو ﱡاﻟﺴﻠْﻄَ ُﺎن ِاﻟﺸﱠﺎﻣ ُﺦ َو اﻟْ ُﺠ ُﻮد اﻟْ َﻮ ِاﺳ ُﻊ َو اﻟْ ُﻘ ْﺪ َرةُ اﻟْ ُﻤ ْﻘﺘَ ِﺪ َرةُ َﺟ َﻌﻠْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ أَﻓْ َﻀ ِﻞ ﺑَ ِﻨﻲ َآد َم َو َﺟ َﻌﻠْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ َﺳ ِﻤﻴﻌﺎً ﺑَ ِﺼªاً َﺻ ِﺤﻴﺤﺎً َﺳ ِﻮﻳّﺎً ُﻣ َﻌ ًﺎﰱ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ َﺸْﻐﻠْ ِﻨﻲ ﻧُ ْﻘ َﺼﺎﻧﺎً ِﰲ ﺑَ َﺪ ِ· َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ ْـﻤ َﻨ ْﻌ َﻚ َﻛَﺮ َاﻣﺘُ َﻚ ِإﻳﱠ َﺎي َو ُﺣ ْﺴ ُﻦ َﺻ ِﻨ ِﻴﻌ َﻚ ِﻋ ْﻨ ِﺪي َو ﻓَ ْﻀﻞُ ِإﻧْ َﻌ ِﺎﻣ َﻚ َﻋﲇَ ﱠ ِإ ْن َو ِﺳ ْﻌ َﺖ َﻋﲇَ ﱠ ِﰲ ﱡاﻟﺪﻧْﻴَﺎ َو ﻓَ ﱠﻀﻠْﺘَ ِﻨﻲ َﻋﲆَ ِﻛَﺜ ªٍ ِﻣ ْﻦ أَ ْﻫ ِﻠ َﻬ ﺎ
ﻓَ َﺠ َﻌﻠْ َﺖ ِﱄ َﺳ ْﻤﻌﺎً َو ﻓُ َﺆاداً ﻳَ ْﻌ ِﺮﻓَ ِﺎن َﻋﻈَ َﻤﺘَ َﻚ َو أَﻧَﺎ ِﺑ ْﻔَﻀ ِﻠ َﻚ َﺣ ِﺎﻣ ٌﺪ َو ِﺑ َﺠ ْﻬ ِﺪ ﻧَ ِﻔْﴘ ﻟَ َﻚ ﺷَﺎﻛِ ٌﺮ َو ِﺑ َﺤ ﱢﻘ َﻚ ِﺷَﺎﻫ ٌﺪ ﻓَ ِﺈﻧﱠ َﻚ َﺣ ﱞﻲ ﻗَﺒْﻞَ ﻛُﻞﱢ َﺣ ﱟﻲ َو َﺣ ﱞﻲ ﺑَ ْﻌ َﺪ ﻛُﻞﱢ َﺣ ﱟﻲ َو َﺣ ﱞﻲ ﺗَ ِﺮ ُث اﻟْ َﺤﻴَﺎةَ ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗَ ْﻘﻄَ ْﻊ َﺧ ْ ªَ َك َﻋ ﱢﻨﻲ ﻃَ ْﺮﻓَ َﺔ َﻋ ْ ٍ ِﰲ ﻛُﻞﱢ َوﻗْ ٍﺖ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ ْﻨ ِﺰ ْل Ëِ ُﻋ ُﻘﻮﺑَ ِﺎت ﱢاﻟﻨ َﻘ ِﻢ َو ﻟَ ْﻢ ﺗُ َﻐ ﱢ ªْ َﻋﲇَ ﱠ َدﻗَﺎﺋِ َﻖ اﻟْ ِﻌ َﺼ ِﻢ ﻓَﻠَ ْﻮ ﻟَ ْﻢ أَ ْذ ْﻛُﺮ ِﻣ ْﻦ ِإ ْﺣ َﺴﺎﻧِ َﻚ ِإﻻﱠ َﻋ َﻔْﻮ َك َو ِإ َﺟﺎﺑَ َﺔ ُد َﻋ ِﺎÏ ِﺣ َ َرﻓَ ْﻌ ُﺖ َرأْ ِﳼ ِﺑﺘَ ْﺤ ِﻤ ِﻴﺪ َك َو َ â ِْﺠ ِﻴﺪ َك َو ِﰲ ِﻗ ْﺴ َﻤ ِﺔ اﻷْ َ ْر َز ِاق ِﺣ َ ﻗَ ﱠﺪ ْر َت ﻓَﻠَ َﻚ اﻟْ َﺤ ْﻤ ُﺪ َﻋ َﺪ َد َﻣﺎ َﺣ ِﻔ َﻆ ِﻋﻠْ ُﻤ َﻚ َو َﻋ َﺪ َد َﻣﺎ أَ َﺣﺎﻃَ ْﺖ ِﺑ ِﻪ ﻗُ ْﺪ َرﺗُ َﻚ َو َﻋ َﺪ َد َﻣﺎ َو ِﺳ َﻌﺘْ ُﻪ َر ْﺣ َﻤﺘُ َﻚ
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ﻓَﺘَ ﱢﻤ ْﻢ ِإ ْﺣ َﺴﺎﻧَ َﻚ ِﻓ َﻴ ﺑَ ِﻘ َﻲ َﻛَ أَ ْﺣ َﺴ ْﻨ َﺖ ِﻓ َﻴ َﻣ َﴣ ﻓَ ِﺈ·ﱢ أَﺗَ َﻮ ﱠﺳ ﻞُ Chapter 5: Yemen During the Caliphate of Imam Alī 97
ِﺑﺘَ ْﻮ ِﺣ ِﻴﺪ َك َو ﺗَ ْـﻤ ِﺠ ِﻴﺪ َك َو ﺗَ ْﺤ ِﻤ ِﻴﺪ َك َو ﺗَ ْﻬ ِﻠ ِﻴﻠ َﻚ َو ﺗَ ْﻜ ِﺒªِ َك َو ﺗَ ْﻌ ِﻈ ِﻴﻤ َﻚ َو ِﺑ ُﻨ ِﻮر َك َو َرأْﻓَ ِﺘ َﻚ َو َر ْﺣ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ َو ُﻋﻠُ ﱢﻮ َك َو َﺟ َﻟِ َﻚ َو َﺟﻼَ ﻟِ َﻚ َو ﺑَ َﻬﺎﺋِ َﻚ َو ُ ﺳﻠْﻄَﺎﻧِ َﻚ َو ﻗُ ْﺪ َرﺗِ َﻚ َو ِﺑ ُـﻤ َﺤ ﱠﻤ ٍﺪ َو آﻟِ ِﻪ اﻟﻄﱠ ِﺎﻫ ِﺮ َﻳﻦ أَﻻﱠ ﺗَ ْﺤ ِﺮ َﻣ ِﻨﻲ ِرﻓْ َﺪ َك َو ﻓَ َﻮاﺋِ َﺪ َك ﻓَ ِﺈﻧﱠ ُﻪ ﻻَ ﻳَ ْﻌ َ ِﱰ َﻳﻚ ﻟِ َﻜ ْ¥َ ِة َﻣﺎ ﻳَ ْﻨ َﺪ ِﻓ ُﻖ ِﺑ ِﻪ َﻋ َﻮاﺋِ ُﻖ اﻟْﺒُ ْﺨ ِﻞ َو ﻻَ ﻳَ ْﻨ ُﻘ ُﺺ ُﺟ َﻮد َك ﺗَ ْﻘ ِﺼ ªٌ ِﰲ ْﺷُﻜ ِﺮ ﻧِ ْﻌ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ َو ﻻَ ﺗُ ِﻔْﻨﻲ َﺧ َﺰاﺋِ َﻦ َﻣ َﻮ ِاﻫ َﺒِﻚ ﱢاﻟﻨ َﻌ ُﻢ َو ﻻَ ﺗَ َﺨ ُﺎف َﺿﻴْ َﻢ ِإ ْﻣﻼَ ٍق ﻓَﺘُ ْﻜ ِﺪ َي َو ﻻَ ﻳَﻠْ َﺤ ُﻘ َﻚ َﺧ ْﻮ ُف ُﻋ ْﺪ ٍم ﻓَﻴَ ْﻨ ُﻘ َﺺ ﻓَﻴْ ُﺾ ﻓَ ْﻀ ِﻠ َﻚ
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ْار ُزﻗْ ِﻨﻲ ﻗَﻠْﺒﺎً َﺧ ِﺎﺷﻌﺎً َو ﻳَ ِﻘﻴﻨﺎً َﺻ ِﺎدﻗﺎً َو ﻟِ َﺴﺎﻧﺎً َذاﻛِﺮاً َو ﻻَ ﺗُ ْﺆ ِﻣ ﱢﻨ ﻲ َﻣ ْﻜ َﺮ َك َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ْﻜ ِﺸ ْﻒ َﻋ ﱢﻨﻲ ِﺳ ْﱰَ َك َو ﻻَ ﺗُ ْﻨ ِﺴ ِﻨﻲ ِذ َﻛْﺮ َك َو ﻻَ ﺗُﺒَ ِﺎﻋ ْﺪ ِ· ِﻣ ْﻦ ِﺟ َﻮ ِار َك َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ْﻘﻄَ ْﻌ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ َر ْﺣ َﻤ ِﺘ َﻚ َو ﻻَ ﺗُ ْﺆ ِﻳ ْﺴ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ َر ْو ِﺣ َﻚ َو ْﻛُﻦ ِﱄ أُﻧْﺴﺎً ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻛُﻞﱢ َو ْﺣ ٍﺸَﺔ َو ْاﻋ ِﺼ ْﻤ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻛُﻞﱢ َﻫﻠَ َﻜ ٍﺔ َو ﻧَ ﱢﺠ ِﻨﻲ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﻛُﻞﱢ ﺑَﻼَ ٍء َف ِإﻧﱠ َﻚ ﻻ ﺗُ ْﺨ ِﻠ ُﻒ اﻟْ ِﻤ َﻴﻌﺎد
أَﻟﻠﱣ ُﻬ ﱠﻢ ْارﻓَ ْﻌ ِﻨﻲ َو ﻻَ ﺗَ َﻀ ْﻌ ِﻨﻲ َو ِز ْد ِ· َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ْﻨ ُﻘ ْﺼ ِﻨﻲ َو ْار َﺣ ْﻤ ِﻨﻲ َو ﻻَ ﺗُ َﻌ ﱢﺬﺑْ ِﻨ ﻲ َو اﻧْ ُ ْﴫ ِ· َو ﻻَ ﺗَ ْﺨ ُﺬﻟْ ِﻨﻲ َو ِآﺛ ْﺮ ِ· َو ﻻَ ﺗُ ْﺆﺛِ ْﺮ َﻋﲇَ ﱠ َو َﺻﻞﱢ َﻋﲆَ ُﻣ َﺤ ﱠﻤ ٍﺪ َو ِآل ُﻣ َﺤ ﱠﻤ ٍﺪ اﻟﻄﱠﻴﱢ َﺒِ اﻟﻄﱠ ِﺎﻫ ِﺮ َﻳﻦ َو َﺳﻠﱢ ْﻢ ﺗَ ْﺴ ِﻠﻴً A er writing the supplication, Imam Alī said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Should a person recite this supplication with a true intention and a sincere heart, and then command the mountains to move 98 A Land Most Goodly and head towards the seas, it would happen.” So the man le to return to his land in Yemen with the supplication from Imam Alī and a er forty days, God destroyed his enemies such that not even one of them was le from his side. A erwards Imam Alī said, “I knew this would be the case for the Messenger of Allah taught me that nothing will be an extremely diffi cult issue to resolve except that it will be made easy by this supplication.”74
74 Bi ār al Anwār , vol. 92, p. 242. Conclusion
Amongst the aims of this small book was to provide the respected readers with an appreciation of Yemen’s ancient and early Islamic history, and its foundational role in the culture of Arabia, its interaction with prophetic stories, and its unique importance in the development of Islamic history. According to the r’an, Yemen is one of the few places to have experienced Divine retribution for its form of rejection and objections to the prophetic missions. Yemenī kings tried on multiple occasions to conquer Arabia or in the least to destroy the Ka bah as a symbolic means of their gods’ supremacy over the God of Ibrāhīm. On every occasion, either the Yemenī kings and tribes were obliterated or they found guidance. is suggests that whenever Allah found goodness in them, he ensured that they prospered through faith such that Yemen became a hub for receiving religious migration and the tribes awaited to be at the service of their prophet. Moreover, Yemen here is also demonstrated as a place of great humility, growth and religious fervour. at is to say that though its ancient history tells the story of Divine destruction, its middle history proves its benefi ing from those lessons and belief in their la er prophets. Arguably other faiths or regions adopted the opposite believing in earlier prophets, but rejecting the la er ones. In their preparation for Prophet Mu ammad , while other regions, particularly in and around Yathrib also experienced this immigration of 100 A Land Most Goodly people for the purpose of supporting prophecy, not all of the tribes and sects fulfi lled their oaths. e r’an mentions the story of the Jewish inhabitants of Medina that, “When there came to them the prophet verifying that which was among them (the Torah), they did not have cognisance of him (the Prophet) and rejected him.”75 So while all of these various groups migrated for and awaited the same prophet, the Yemenī tribes were unique in their fulfi lment of adopting Islam and fully serving its mission. is awaiting and support manifested itself in two ways: e Ansar (helpers) of Medina who invited, welcomed and sustained the Prophet in his migration, would be of Yemenī descent; and those regional tribes that heard of the Prophet , sent to him and welcomed from him delegations. is shows the characteristics of faith, humility, truth and generosity. It is of no surprise then that the Prophet is narrated to have said, “Faith is Yemeni and they are from me, to me and from them is al Marba’76 (the place where spring time is heralded). ey will come to you as helpers and aids so I commend to you to deal with them with goodness.”77 ese many praises and appellations are not to be taken likely. Given the number of times that they appear in the adīth corpus, even in varied ways, it gives confi dence that such words indeed emanated from the Prophet , and since “He does not speak of his own whims, rather it is
75 r’an , Sūrah al Baqarah (2), verse 92 76 Yamani, Salih Ayyash al , e Followers in Yemen, Ancient History, Its Present and Future, Dar al Mahajjatu al Baydhaa’, Lebanon, 2011, p. 18; the Arabic text is as follows:
اﳌَ ْﻮ ِﺿﻊ ﻳُﻘﺎم ﻓﻴﻪ َزﻣﻦ ﱠاﻟﺮﺑﻴﻊ 77 Majma al Zawā id, vol. 1, p. 55; the Arabic text is as follows:
اﻹﺎن ﺎ· و ﻫﻢ ﻣﻨﻲ و ّإﱄ و إن ﺑﻌﺪ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ اﳌﺮﺑﻊ و ﻳﻮﺷﻚ أن ﻳﺄﺗﻮﻛﻢ أﻧﺼﺎراً و أﻋﻮاﻧﺎً ﻓﺂﻣﺮﻛﻢ ﺑﻬﻢ ﺧªاً (ﻣﺠﻤﻊ اﻟﺰواﺋﺪ ج ٠١ ص ٥٥) Conclusion 101 inspiration,78 ” these are greatly instructive as to how important Yemen was to the Messenger and therefore Allah . In this regards, there are also numerous narrations that speak about the role of Yemen in the fi nal age and specifi c assistance to the awaited saviour of humanity, al Mahdī ; unfortunately including them is outside of the remit of this work. ese narrations however, do suggest the same theory of awaiting and support to al Mahdī as they did to Prophet Mu ammad , presenting a consistency of faith and commitment of the Yemeni people. Another goal of this work is to raise awareness of the dire and tragic circumstances that exist on the ground in Yemen. Several statements and statistics from some of the leading organizations and aid agencies were mentioned in the introductions; however to summarize the situation, the United Nations Offi ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aff airs (UNOCHA) has published a factsheet about the Yemen crisis with the following eleven critical points: 1. e humanitarian situation in Yemen is still the worst in the world. 2. Around 8.4 million people in Yemen do not know where they will get their next meal from. 3. Every ten minutes a child under the age of fi ve in Yemen dies from preventable causes. 4. Civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence. 5. Women and children are subject to widespread protection violations. 6. Approximately 3 million people have been displaced. 7. Ending the confl ict is the only way to resolve the humanitarian crisis. 8. Half of all of the health facilities are damaged or unable to function. 9. Millions of Yemenīs do not have access to safe drinking water and cholera could resurge there.
78 r’an , Sūrah al Najm (53), verses 3 4. 102 A Land Most Goodly
10. Humanitarian response faces a nearly 2 billion dollar funding gap. 11. Keeping the ports and other access channels open is crucial to deliver aid.79 According to the United Nations Offi ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aff airs (UNOCHA) statement which was given on the January 21 st , 2018, in the previous year, donors provided $1.65 billion of aid out of the minimum $2.34 billion, or 70% of the target. is demonstrates the gap in support from just one aid agency perspective. To know more about how the UN relief program is supporting the Yemenī people, you can read their Humanitarian Response Plan: January December 2018.80 Combining the importance of Yemen in Islamic history, the love that Prophet Mu ammad had for the Yemenī people and the collective punishment meted out on them, culminating in the present humanitarian disaster all for seeking a government free and independent from Saudi infl uence should be suffi cient to inspire the respected readers to deeply consider his or her commitment to solving the crisis both humanitarian and politically. Both are urgently required which brings about the fi nal goal of this work, which is to seek whatever li le time, eff ort and fi nancial assistance that can be given to the cause of the Yemenī people. Most in need is clean water, food, medical supplies and adequate shelter. To halt the bombing, especially civilians and key infrastructure is also a top priority, something that governments would take seriously as an agenda if their constituents were to raise it with enough vigour and care. In a world already ravaged by war, especially across the Middle East diplomatic solutions with the Yemenī’s being able to govern themselves should be an obvious and indisputable expectation. Your buying this book has contributed fi nancially and all of the
79 h ps://unocha.exposure.co/eleven facts about the yemen crisis (Last accessed on May 15, 2018). 80 h ps://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen humanitarian response plan january december 2018 enar (Last accessed on July 15, 2018) Conclusion 103 proceeds will God Willing, be distributed to those in need. For that I thank you on behalf of all of the people whom it will reach but will never know of your contribution. ey now require your support for their safety, independence and opportunity to rebuild their lives. In order to do this, we require an awareness of what is happening on the ground and the diplomatic solutions in the near future. To this end, I leave the respected readers with a list of names of reporters to follow for good information on the crisis, and some solutions that we can participate in, God Willing: • Ahmad Algohbary, Yemenī journalist based in Sana’a; • Dr. Nevio Zagaria, World Health Organisation representative in Yemen; • Iona Craig, Yemen/Arab Peninsula journalist; • Joana Cook, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR); • Hussain Albukhaiti, Yemen based journalist; • Ahmed Jahaf, freelance reporter digital artist; • Shireen al Adeimi, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University; • Mnar A. Muhawesh; • Mint Press News; I ask Allah to accept this work and whatever goodness He sees in it, the reward goes to Marhoom al ajj Amirali MohamedJaff er Lakha. May it be a means of assistance and solace to those who so desperately need it; and may Allah bring victory to those on truth and justice, and guide those who are far from it. We read the following in the Noble r’an:
] ۗ ۚ ٰ ۚ 104 A Land Most Goodly
ٰ ۚ ۚ ۚ ۗ ٰ [ ۚ No calamity befalls but by the permission of Allah. (When it happens) Allah guides the mind of the person who believes in Him (into the ways of its purifi cation and enlightenment); and Allah knows all things very well. (11) Obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away (paying no heed) then (bear in mind that) Our Messenger is responsible only for the plain conveying (of the messages). (12) Allah, there is no god (cannot be and will never be One worthy of worship) but He. So let the believers put their trust in Allah. (14) O you who believe! Surely some of your spouses and children are enemies to you, so beware of them; and (if you overlook their short comings) and forgive and pardon (them), then you will fi nd that surely Allah is a Great Protector, Ever Merciful. (15) Verily, your possessions and your children are a means to reveal your hidden a ributes. As for Allah there awaits an immense reward with Him. (16) erefore do your duty towards Allah to the best of your ability, and listen to Him and obey Him, and go on spending in (His cause). (If you do so) it will be best for your own selves. For only those who are rid of